Most hearing loss is subtle at first, and you may not even notice a change. In fact, it is usually friends and family who alert someone to their hearing issue. Although children are regularly tested, many adults do not think about scheduling a hearing test like they would for their vision.
Signs You May Need a Hearing Test
There are lots of daily instances where you may not be hearing everything and certainly not hearing what others do.
- Are you frequently asking people to repeat themselves?
- Are you finding yourself turning up the volume on your TV?
- Is it harder to understand everyone at a noisy restaurant?
- Are there misunderstandings at work or at home causing disagreements?
These kinds of situations can happen on a daily basis and continue to affect relationships.
Specific Reasons to Have Your Hearing Tested Regularly
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association guidelines state that adults should get a hearing screening every 10 years up until age 50, and adults over the age of 50 should get one every 3 years.
1. Family History
If other members of your family have hearing issues, this is an excellent reason to schedule a hearing test with a hearing professional.
2. Set Your Baseline Hearing
Once you know your hearing capacity in each ear, you become aware of any issues. There are sounds you may not be hearing and impairments that might indicate further tests or treatments.
3. Helps Measure Future Changes
Each new test will compare new information with past tests. Some changes happen
gradually and the tests will identify any changes even if you don’t.
4. Helps Diagnose and Treat Early Problems
New tests track changes and how rapidly they are happening, which can help diagnose and treat problems early, such as a buildup of earwax or noise-induced hearing loss.
5. Diagnose Medical Conditions
Sometimes hearing loss is a symptom of an underlying medical condition like diabetes and high blood pressure (linked to hearing loss and tinnitus), plus cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. You may be able to relieve hearing loss by treating the medical conditions causing it.
6. Prevent Further Damage
When a patient is without treatment, they can become depressed and fear social situations, inviting isolation and more depression. Seniors with hearing problems can have increased injuries when they don’t hear warning signals like car horns, smoke alarms, and other sounds that mean danger. In addition, untreated hearing loss is associated with dementia and falls.
Getting the Answers You Need
Maybe you have suspected you have a hearing loss. Now you have answers, including the knowledge that hearing aids will improve not only your hearing but also your relationships with family, friends, and co-workers.
Once your hearing loss is treated with the appropriate hearing aids, you’ll be able to hear more effectively during conversations or work meetings, or simply listen to your child’s laughter or a loved one’s voice.
Contact a hearing professional if you want to schedule a hearing test or if you think you are experiencing hearing loss.
