Hearing knocks in the night? From ghoulish whispers to creaking floorboards, an audiologist reveals the 5 scary signs your spooky household noises might be early hearing loss

Creaking floorboards. Disembodied whispers. Strange bumps in the night. As Halloween approaches, spooky noises around the house may have us cowering under the bedsheets or reaching for the Ghostbusters’ phone number.‘At Halloween, we’re primed to notice strange noises, especially when we’re lying in bed and the house is quiet,’ says Ash Shah, head of audiology at The Hearing Care Partnership. ‘However, if you’re regularly hearing sounds that other people can’t, or everyday noises have started sounding louder, distorted or just different, it could be your hearing.’Fiendish ghoul or potential hearing problem? Shah reveals the five signs to look for.1. You can hear unexplained knocking or hummingThose ominous knocks in the middle of the night? It might be a sign of tinnitus, says Shah.‘Tinnitus is commonly associated with ringing in the ears, but it can take many different forms and is often more noticeable at night when there is less background noise to compete with it,’ he says. ‘People describe it as ringing, buzzing, hissing, humming, whistling, or whooshing. It can be constant or come and go, be in one ear or both, or feel like it’s “in the head.”’One in seven adults in the UK experience tinnitus and it’s more common with age. It can often be managed and does not itself cause hearing loss, although the two can be associated. Strange noises in the night may just be a symptom of a hearing problem, warns audiologist Ash Shah‘It’s worth getting your ears checked if tinnitus persists for more than a week or two, and sooner if it’s only in one ear, pulses in time with your heartbeat, or comes with dizziness, ear pain, or discharge,’ says Shah. 2. You hear voices that aren’t therePhantom whispers, laughter or music – most people who hear these noises may think it’s a sign to see a psychiatrist. But it’s more likely to be your brain filling in gaps that arise because of hearing loss, known as auditory deprivation or Musical Ear Syndrome.‘Music is the most common noise, with voices the second most common,’ says Shah. ‘People often describe hearing familiar, older tunes rather than anything new. With voices it's often muffled and indistinct again with repetition. It's more common in older adults and often in quieter environments.’ 3. Everyday noises sound alarmingly loudHearing loss isn’t always as simple as everything becoming quieter, says Shah. If something as mundane as switching the kettle on gives you a fright, you may have hyperacusis. This is when everyday sounds like running the tap or shutting a door seem much louder than they should and can sometimes be painful.‘When the signal coming from the ear drops, the brain compensates by amplifying whatever does arrive,’ says Shah. ‘If it amplifies this too much it can make normal everyday sounds feel overly loud.’Hyperacusis affects between 2-9 per cent of people, though it’s more common in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The condition is also linked to tinnitus, though not everyone with tinnitus will have hyperacusis and vice versa. 4. Noises go from quiet to loud very quicklySimilar to hyperacusis, recruitment is when noises can become loud very quickly. For example, someone with recruitment may ask a softly spoken person to speak up, then complain when they raise their voice to a slightly higher volume.‘Sounds go from very quiet to uncomfortably loud over a much narrower range than they should,’ Shah says. ‘The outer hair cells in the inner ear act as a tiny amplifier; it gives quiet sounds a bigger boost and already loud sounds almost no boost. As the outer hair cells become damaged the boost is reduced so the jump from very quiet to uncomfortably loud gets shorter.’5. Noises that are muffled or distortedHearing scratching behind the walls or muffled noises in the basement? It’s probably just a build-up of earwax.Around one in 20 adults will experience earwax build-up, says Shah. Common symptoms include hearing muffled or distorted noises, earache, a feeling of fullness or blockage, hearing loss and tinnitus. Thankfully, it’s easily treatable: minor cases can be fixed with eardrops, while more severe build-ups can be removed by your audiologist.What should I do if I experience hearing problems?Sudden hearing loss, and sudden hearing loss alongside tinnitus, should be treated as urgent and seen the same day, if possible, to give the ear the best chance to recover, says Shah.Conductive hearing loss, ie hearing loss that’s not caused by damage to the inner ear, is usually treatable – for example, ‘wax removal, treating an infection or an ear drum perforation which can at times heal itself or if appropriate through surgical intervention,’ Shah explains.‘Sensorineural hearing loss – where the inner ear is damaged – is a form of permanent hearing loss and requires correcting the damage through the use of hearing devices,’ Shah continues. ‘Sometimes additional assistive listening devices are also required in situations where it may be more challenging to hear even with the use of hearing aids.’In any case, it’s worth visiting your audiologist if you experience any changes to your hearing.‘Ensure you get your hearing checked regularly to monitor any changes and if there is an issue act early and use the solution provided consistently,’ Shah advises. ‘Leave your ears alone, if you think there is an issue with wax build up don't try to clear or resolve this yourself seek proper care and treatment from a trained clinician.’