To realise it’s actually me.

[jaysrocks]

I met up with my mum recently, we don’t live very near but the whole time she kept asking me to repeat myself as she said she thought she must be losing her hearing.

Dh has kept asking me to repeat myself over the last few weeks too and started wondering if there’s something wrong with his hearing.

I made an important phone call today with a very apologetic lady who thought she must be losing her hearing.

My children keep asking me to repeat myself.

I called out to the usually friendly neighbour who didn’t respond.

Today my child’s teacher had a quick chat but kept asking me to repeat myself because she couldn’t hear very well.

Lastly we just popped into the pharmacy for my prescription and I had to say my very simple last name 3 times before being asked to spell it because the man behind the counter said he was a being a bit deaf.

It’s not a bad hearing epidemic is it?

Am I losing my hearing? Would that make my voice quieter ?To me I sound the same.

41 and no nothing else at all.

My SIL speaks softly and mumbles, it's a nightmare trying to understand/hear her. Maybe try recording yourself and listen back to it?

Definitely get a hearing test. This happened to me too, I have high frequency hearing loss.

Try to speak slower, pronounce words correctly and face towards people when you talk.

I disagree - I suffered a temporary loss of hearing due to a double ear infection once, and it resulted in me speaking much more quietly than usual. It was because I couldn't assess the volume of my own voice at all, so out of fear that I was talking very loudly I overcompensated in the opposite manner and was extremely quiet. It was strange because I felt like I was doing a good job of talking at my usual volume, but in reality I was miles too quiet.

OP I do think it would be worth getting a hearing test, just to rule out any issues. If your hearing is fine and it's just a case of volume or enunciation you can work on those things, but rule out a medical cause first.

I had Covid last year and lost my hearing for 6 months . I spoke very quietly when I couldn’t hear so I was told . I think I was paranoid I was shouting at people so must of adjusted my volume

Strange. Can you speak loudly if you make the effort? You could ask someone to monitor you.
One possibility is that your lungs aren't working quite as well as usual so you are trying to talk with too little breath. A session with a voice coach could be helpful.

No I don’t think my hearing has changed but then I didn’t think my own voice had I can still hear it and it sounds as it always has and so does everyone else to me.

I wear hearing aids. When the battery in my better ear goes I get asked by everyone to repeat myself or get talked over. I have conductive hearing loss so can hear myself in my own head but obviously struggle to hear how loud I'm talking without my hearing aids.
Some people will talk louder with hearing issues but other people (like me) will be quieter. I'd definitely make a hearing test appointment just to rule it out.

If I try to speak up deliberately it sounds very strained like I’m shouting over loud music and not something I could keep up for long.
I am not just a quiet person though as this has just been a month or so.

When my hearing went I started to speak quietly. I couldn’t regulate my volume. Some go lower and some higher

That’s a good suggestion too

Get tested, and if your hearing comes back fine perhaps consider the GP? I'm sure you're likely to be fine, but an unusually quiet voice can be an early symptom of Parkinson's.

I think something has gone wrong in your airways and unless your GP can come up with a quick diagnosis and treatment, I would suggest a voice coach, even for one session, to look at what is happening to your voice.

I agree. It could be your vocal chords.

I did have a couple of days a few weeks ago where I could hear a crackling and popping in my ears as I spoke but nobody else could hear it. I could feel this weird vibration coming from my ears as I spoke not had it since and not before.
Not drip feeding generally thought nothing of it until reading the comments and something reminded me of it.

I agree that it could be hearing loss. I have severe hearing loss in one ear that’s gradually come on (I’m about the same age). The only reason I noticed is because the sound through my headphones seemed a bit odd and I’ve never had a problem hearing anyone but one of the consequences is that my voice has got quieter although it sounds exactly the same in my head.

My DH suffers with his ears and when he has a flare up I know as his voice gets lower. He doesn’t realise he’s doing it. I would get your ears checked and if they are ok I’d make an appointment with the gp. Hope you’re ok op xx

Theres definitely something going on, I have noticed for a while I sound a bit croaky sometimes in the morning and my voice tends to cut in and out, this is new as sometimes I go to say something and nothing comes out at first so I clear my throat and try again but Dh just used to think that was funny so I just didn’t worry much.

See your GP and ask for a referral to an ENT department. It could be polyps or something else. I have a very husky voice and had some vocal physio for it, all to do with my breathing apparently.

@jaysrocks Are you anaemic, iron deficiency can result in a lower voice apparently - it was a shocker to me too!

Your voice is produced by muscles, the vocal cords, the diaphragm, the intercostal muscles, the throat, the tongue. When iron is low, those muscles fatigue more quickly and produce less force.
That can show up as:

• quieter speech
• weaker projection
• trailing off at the ends of sentences
• difficulty sustaining volume
• feeling “breathy”
• needing to repeat yourself
• people saying you sound like you’re mumbling
• people not hearing you in noisy environments

You don’t hear the drop in your own volume because your internal perception of your voice doesn’t match the external output. This is exactly why people with iron deficiency often say: “I sound normal to myself.” But everyone else hears a quieter, softer, less projected voice.

Can’t you just speak a bit louder ?

Look up s z ratios on Google and do it with someone timing you.
It's can quickly give you an idea if there is a voice disorder that needs investigation.