Knowing when you require some medical advice is typically rather easy. When you break your leg, for example, you know you should go to the doctor (or the emergency room, depending on the scenario). You could need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the thing is that you’re unlikely to try “toughing it out”. At least, not for very long (particularly if you want your bones to mend themselves correctly).
But with regard to hearing aids, it isn’t always so easy to identify when it’s time to get some help. Hearing loss is usually a developing condition. This means it isn’t always easy to know when you may need to start wearing hearing aids or to delay seeking treatment you know could be beneficial.
So keeping an eye out for indications that your hearing is going is a good idea. If you notice any, it may be time to consult us about your first set of hearing aids.
Hearing loss and hearing aids
Hearing aids are the main form of treatment for hearing loss. But everyone who has some degree of hearing loss won’t automatically need hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be practical in cases of mild hearing loss. We may want you to hold off on using hearing aids as a result. It’s also feasible that we could instruct you to only wear your hearing aids when you’re in particular situations.
This means that just because you are diagnosed with hearing loss doesn’t mean you will automatically require hearing aids.
But in many instances hearing aids will be the best answer. Because hearing loss can be a sneaky and slow condition, lots of individuals don’t get a diagnosis until there’s been considerable damage. But if you come in to see us regularly, you may be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, because of this, you may not need hearing aids immediately.
So how will you know if you have hearing loss?
You need hearing aids if you experience these indicators
Immediate communication problems can be the consequence of hearing loss. The funny thing, though, is that you don’t always understand that those communication challenges are caused by hearing loss. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Watch out for these indicators:
- You listen to the radio or TV at high volumes: If you’re constantly turning the volume up on your television or radio or smartphone, it may be the result of hearing loss. This is particularly true if you keep moving that volume knob higher (and even more especially relevant if the people around you complain about how loud your media is).
- Phone conversations sound muffled: Even the highest quality phone speakers have a habit of flattening a voice. That can make it tough to understand, especially if you have hearing loss. It can be very difficult to hear voices as an outcome of the loss of these frequencies.
- When people speak, you can’t always understand what they said: Many people don’t think they have hearing loss or need hearing aids because the total volume they hear seems fine. But hearing loss is curious, it tends to impact particular frequencies before others. Due to this, things like vowel sounds in the higher pitches can sound distorted. This could cause you to have a difficult time understanding what people are saying.
- When you’re in very loud locations, you have a hard time following conversations: When people ask, “What are the signs of hearing loss?”, this one is almost always mentioned. One of the surest indications of hearing loss is that you have difficulty following conversations in noisy locations, like bars or restaurants. This occurs because your ears aren’t getting as much information as they used to, and your brain isn’t really capable of filling in the gaps as easily. Because of this, there’s a lot of muddled conversations.
So what can you do?
Obviously, you know precisely what you need to do when you break a bone! But what do you do when you begin to detect the symptoms of hearing loss? What level of hearing loss calls for hearing aids? Well, that’s hard to answer, but when you start experiencing these signs, it’s a good plan to make an appointment with us. We’ll be able to assess the health of your hearing and find out just how serious your hearing loss may or may not be.
And if you do wind up needing hearing aids, a hearing test will help identify the best device for your hearing needs. Then you will be able to get back to enjoying good conversations with your friends and loved ones and doing the things you love.
Call us to schedule your hearing test, we can help you recognize if you’re suffering from hearing loss.