When is it time to have your hearing checked? Here are four clues that you should get your hearing assessed.
Recently, my kids complained about how loud my television was. You know what I said to them? I said, “What”? It was a joke. I thought it was funny. But it also wasn’t. I have needed to turn the TV up louder and louder as of late. And that got me thinking that perhaps it’s time for a hearing test.
There aren’t all that many excuses not to make an appointment for a hearing exam. Hearing tests don’t cause you any discomfort, they’re non-invasive, and there isn’t any radiation. It’s really just that you haven’t made time for it.
Considering how much neglected hearing loss can impact your health, you really should be more vigilant about making sure your hearing impairment hasn’t worsened.
Hearing evaluations are essential for a wide variety of reasons. Even mild hearing loss can have an affect on your health and it’s almost impossible to recognize early hearing loss without a hearing test.
So when should you have your hearing tested? Here are some signs that it’s time.
You should get your hearing tested if you experience these signs
If you’ve recently encountered any of the symptoms of hearing loss, it’s definitely a smart plan to get a professional hearing exam. Obviously, if things are hard to hear, that’s a pretty solid indication of hearing loss.
But that’s not the only symptom, and there are some signs of hearing loss that are much less apparent:
- Ringing that won’t go away: A typical sign of injured hearing is a ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus. Ringing in the ear may or may not point to hearing loss. But it’s certainly an indication that you should get a hearing assessment.
- You’re always missing text messages: Your phone (or mobile device, as they’re called these days) is designed to be loud. So if you’re frequently missing calls or text messages, it may be because you aren’t hearing them. And if you’re unable to hear your mobile device, what else might you be missing?
- It sounds like everybody’s mumbling all the time: In some cases, it’s not loss of volume you have to worry about, it’s a loss of distinction. Trouble following along with conversations is one of the first signs that something is going bad with your hearing. It may be time for a hearing exam if you notice this occurring more and more often.
- You have a hard time hearing when you’re in a noisy environment: Have you ever had a hard time following along with conversations because of ambient noise in a busy room? If this seems familiar you could be developing hearing loss. Being able to identify sounds is one sign of healthy hearing; this ability tends to diminish as hearing loss worsens.
Here are some other situations that show you should schedule a hearing evaluation:
- Your ears are not removing earwax thoroughly
- You take specific medications that can harm your hearing
- You experience vertigo
- You can’t easily determine where particular sounds are coming from
- You have an ear infection and it won’t go away
This checklist is in no way exhaustive. For instance, if your TV’s volume is maxed and you still can’t hear it. But any one of these symptoms is worth following up on.
Routine checkups
But how should you deal with it when you’re not certain if you have any signs of hearing loss. Is there a guideline for how frequently you should schedule a hearing exam? There’s a guideline for everything, right, so there’s got to be a guideline for this. There are, in fact, some recommendations.
- Get a primary test done sometime after you’re 21. That way, you’ll have a standard of your mature hearing.
- Every three years or so will be a good schedule if your hearing appears normal. That can be a huge chunk of time to pay attention to, so make sure they’re marked in your medical records somewhere.
- If you notice signs of hearing loss, you will want to get it checked immediately, and then yearly after that.
It will be easier to discover any hearing loss before any warning signs become obvious with routine examinations. The earlier you seek treatment, the better you’ll be able to maintain your hearing into the future. So it’s time to give us a call and make an appointment for a hearing assessment.