Sometimes, admitting that you're having a bit of trouble with figuring out what people are saying isn't something you feel like doing. Whether you're in your 40s and unwilling to accept that years of standing in front of loudspeakers might have an impact on your ability to listen to music at lower volumes or are even younger and dealing with the trouble that listening to too much music through earbud headphones can cause, it's never fun to realize that perhaps, it's not that everyone else is speaking too softly--it's that you aren't able to quite catch what they're saying. And the thing about hearing loss is that it can sneak up on you. It's not as though one day you are listening to the radio at a reasonable volume and the next you're blasting music at 10, when you've always thought that was far too loud before. These things are gradual, and it's not noticing the subtle changes that leads to people's unwillingness to accept that they might need a bit of help.

So that you don't get lost or caught up in what might be gradual hearing loss without realizing what exactly is happening, here are five signs that it might be a good time to get a hearing test. The most important part, after all, is admitting that no matter how old or young you are, it might be possible that your lifestyle and other environmental factors are leading to your need for a bit of assistance. After all, the sooner that you address potential trouble with your hearing, the sooner that people can be making sense again and that noise will be sound.

#1 - You've noticed that you're turning up the stereo or your portable music players a lot louder than you once did. This isn't as much the gradual increase of volume, but rather, the day that you realize you never used to turn the stereo past four or five, and that it's regularly at seven--and you need to crank it to nine to hear clearly. Realize that it's not the failure of your equipment in most cases, and try to not actually turn the stereo up any higher than you already have. That might be leading to more problems, not providing an actual solution.

#2 - You no longer need to, or wish you had, ear plugs at concerts. No matter how tough or cool you want to look, being in that front row at a big show and being blown away by the sound is something that usually hurts a little bit--that's because your ears are not designed to handle that kind of volume without some protection, and they are supposed to ring afterwards. If you aren't noticing that when you're seeing live shows, then you might have already done some damage to your hearing.

#3 - There's a constant ringing. This is one of the most annoying things that happens, and while tinnitus can sometimes be caused by things like medicines, most of the time it's a direct result of having too much exposure to loud sounds. So try to keep things turned down in general, and make sure that you don't listen to music with earbud headphones. These are good ways to prevent it if it's not unbearable yet.

#4 - People talking to you at a restaurant or in a crowded place is practically impossible to hear. Not all hearing loss is related to loud noises. Sometimes, you can tell that you are having a bit of trouble because in a loud space, you will not be able to decipher the difference between someone actually addressing you and people just being loud in general.

#5 - Having to ask people to "speak up" all the time - It might not be that your friends and family have started mumbling. You might be experiencing some hearing loss, in which case it would make sense that, like you turn up the volume on the television set, you are also trying to turn up the volume on your friend's voices.