For many, the coming new year represents a chance to reflect on what’s ahead and set new goals and resolutions. If you have been struggling with hearing loss, one resolution you absolutely should add to your list is to schedule a hearing test.
How To Know if You Need a Hearing Test
The pure-tone audiogram is “generally regarded as the screening test of choice in adults.” It allows your audiologist to quickly determine both the cause and severity of your hearing loss, as well as what frequencies are affected.
However, because hearing loss can come on very gradually, it causes some people to delay getting tested, sometimes for years. Knowing the early signs can help identify when it’s time to schedule an appointment. These include:
- Speech and other noises seem muffled
- Trouble following conversations in places with a lot of background noise
- Asking others to repeat themselves frequently
- Needing to turn up the volume on the TV or radio
- Struggling to understand phone conversations
- Having family members or friends comment on your hearing
By making an appointment with an audiologist at the first sign of a problem, you can help ensure you get the most benefit from your hearing aids or other assistive listening devices.
Five Benefits of Treating Your Hearing Loss
- Increase your confidence. Hearing loss makes it harder to communicate and understand the world around you. This can affect your confidence in your ability to interact with others. This might make you more hesitant to go out to dinner with your family or play bingo at the Hampton Senior Center. Treating your hearing loss can help get your confidence back up.
- Improve your relationships. Treating your hearing loss also makes it easier to stay connected with friends and loved ones. Hearing aids can reduce miscommunication and make conversations more relaxing and enjoyable for everyone involved.
- Reduce isolation. Because untreated hearing loss can make socializing so much harder, many with the condition begin to withdraw and isolate from others. Not only can this isolation make your hearing loss worse, but it can increase feelings of anxiety and depression as well.
- Prevent future hearing loss. Seeking treatment early is the best way to prioritize your hearing health and possibly minimize future damage. Regular hearing loss screenings make it easier to see the progression of your hearing loss and your audiologist can recommend ways to help protect your hearing.
- Protect your health. Hearing loss can have negative effects that go beyond your ability to understand speech and sound. Left untreated, it can lead to higher levels of anxiety and depression, increase your risk of balance issues and even make it more likely that you develop cognitive decline and dementia.
For more information or to schedule a hearing test, call Hampton Roads ENT ~ Allergy today.