Knowing when you require some medical advice is usually pretty easy. When you break your leg, for example, you know you should go to the doctor (or the emergency room, depending on the situation). You may need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the point is that you’re not likely to try “toughing it out”. If you want your bones to mend correctly, you need to get them taken care of as soon as you can.
But in terms of hearing aids, it’s not always so simple to identify when it’s time to get some assistance. Hearing loss usually advances really slowly over time. This means knowing when to get treatment for hearing loss can be tricky.
So watching out for signs that your hearing may be going is a good plan. It’s likely time to call us for a consultation if you do notice any.
Hearing aids and hearing loss
Hearing loss is primarily managed with hearing aids. But that doesn’t mean everybody who has hearing loss will immediately need a set of hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be helpful in cases of mild hearing loss. Consequently, we may want you to wait before starting to use them. Likewise, you might be instructed to wear hearing aids only in certain situations.
This means that just because you’re diagnosed with hearing loss doesn’t mean you will automatically require hearing aids.
However, hearing aids will be the best solution in many cases. Because hearing loss can be a sneaky and gradual condition, lots of individuals don’t receive a diagnosis until there’s been substantial damage. Getting your hearing tested regularly is the key to catching hearing loss early and possibly mitigating the need for hearing aids.
And if that’s the situation, you’re most likely thinking: how can I tell if I need hearing aids?
You need hearing aids if you detect these signs
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can produce immediate communication difficulties. The interesting thing, though, is that you don’t always understand that those communication issues are due to hearing loss. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Look out for these signs:
- You have difficulty making out what people are saying: Many people don’t think they have hearing loss or need hearing aids because the overall volume they hear seems fine. But the thing about hearing loss is that specific frequencies of sound often go before others. Due to this, things like vowel sounds in the higher pitches can sound distorted. As a result, you may have a difficult time understanding what people are saying to you.
- You have a hard time following conversations in noisy places: When people ask, “What are the signs of hearing loss?”, this one almost always comes up. One of the surest indications of hearing loss is that you have difficulty following conversations in noisy locations, like bars or restaurants. That’s because your brain has difficulty filling in the missing information that you lose when you have hearing impairment. Lots of conversations get muffled as a result.
- You listen to the radio or TV at really loud levels: If you’re continuously turning up the volume on your television or radio or smartphone, it may be because of hearing loss. If you find individuals around you complaining about the high volume of your devices, this is especially true.
- You can’t understand people on the phone: Even the best phone speakers tend to flatten a voice. That can make it hard to understand, especially if you have hearing loss. Again, certain frequencies are cut out and the result is that it’s extremely hard to understand those voices.
So what should you do?
When you break a bone, it’s clear cut what to do: you go to the doctor! But what do you do when you begin to detect the symptoms of hearing loss? How bad does hearing loss need to be to call for a hearing aid? Well, that’s difficult to answer, but when you begin detecting these signs, it’s a good plan to make an appointment with us. We will be able to inform you about how serious your hearing loss is.
A hearing screening will also help you get the best possible hearing aids for your needs if you do indeed need hearing aids. This means you’ll be able to get back to spending quality time with your friends and family, you’ll hear your grandkids when they call you on the phone, your co-workers at your morning meeting, and your friends at happy hour.
Call us for a hearing test so we can help you improve your quality of life.