Sometimes, it’s easy to recognize when you need medical advice. You know you need to go to the doctor right away if you break your leg, for instance. With scenarios like this, simply “toughing it out” isn’t a possibility. At least, not for very long (particularly if you want your bones to repair themselves correctly).
But in terms of hearing aids, it’s not always so easy to know when it’s time to get some assistance. Hearing loss normally progresses very gradually over time. This means it isn’t always simple to know when you might need to begin using hearing aids or to put off finding treatment you know could be beneficial.
So watching out for indications that your hearing may be going is a good plan. If you detect any, it may be time to consult us about your first set of hearing aids.
Hearing aids and hearing loss
Hearing loss is mainly managed with hearing aids. But everyone who has some level of hearing loss won’t automatically need hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be practical in cases of minor hearing loss. As a result, we may want you to wait before beginning to use them. Likewise, you may be directed to wear hearing aids only in certain situations.
Essentially, the threshold for needing hearing aids isn’t always a diagnosis of hearing loss.
But in many situations hearing aids will be the best answer. Many people won’t get their hearing loss diagnosed until it becomes more severe because hearing loss develops slowly and often goes unnoticed for a while. But if you come in to see us regularly, you might be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, because of this, you might not need hearing aids right away.
So how will you know if you have hearing loss?
You need hearing aids if you recognize these indicators
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can cause immediate communication problems. The interesting thing, though, is that you don’t always comprehend that those communication obstacles are the result of hearing loss. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Here are some of the common signs you should look out for:
- You have a difficult time following conversations in loud places: This is probably one of the most common symptoms of hearing loss. If you have trouble hearing conversations in noisy places, that’s usually a sure sign that you have hearing loss. That’s because your brain has trouble filling in the missing information that you lose when you have hearing impairment. Because of this, there’s a lot of muddled conversations.
- You can’t understand people on the phone: Even the highest quality phone speakers have a habit of flattening a voice. If you have hearing loss, this can make it even harder to understand conversations. Once again, certain frequencies are missing and the result is that it’s really hard to hear those voices.
- The volume on your devices is becoming very loud: If you’re always turning up the volume on your television or radio or smartphone, it might be because of hearing loss. If you find people around you complaining about the high volume of your devices, this is particularly true.
- When people speak, you can’t always make out what they said: Many people feel like the overall volume of life is fine so they never consider that they may have hearing loss. But the thing about hearing loss is that certain frequencies of sound usually go before others. Which means that the great majority of sounds could seem ordinary but things in the high frequencies (like certain vowels) will be distorted. Consequently, you may have a hard time understanding what people are saying to you.
So what can you do?
Clearly, you know precisely what you need to do when you break a bone! But what about when you experience these signs that you may need a hearing aid? What level of hearing loss requires hearing aids? Well, that’s hard to answer, but when you start noticing these symptoms, it’s a good plan to schedule an appointment with us. We’ll be able to evaluate the health of your hearing and determine just how severe your hearing loss may or may not be.
And if you do wind up needing hearing aids, a hearing test will help determine the best device for your hearing needs. This means you’ll be able to get back to spending quality time with your friends and loved ones, you’ll hear your grandkids when they give you a call, your co-workers at your morning meeting, and your friends at happy hour.
Give us a call to schedule your hearing exam, we can help you understand if you’re suffering from hearing loss.