About 48 million Americans have significant hearing loss, but about 15 million of them avoid seeking treatment. The often-imperceptible progression of hearing loss causes may people to seek hearing treatment too late.
Signs of Hearing Loss
The following are common signs of hearing loss and are reliable indicators that it’s time to schedule a hearing test.
- Trouble hearing in noisy environments: Hearing loss makes it difficult to differentiate ambient sounds from speech. If you struggle to hear conversations in places with a lot of background noise, you may have hearing loss.
- Constantly turning up the volume: Have loved ones complained about the volume of your TV or radio? Do you find yourself increasing the volume whenever you’re listening to something? Your hearing loss may progress with exposure to the excessive noise.
- Mumbled speech: You can still hear the volume of people’s voices, but their words just aren’t distinguishable. Hearing loss makes it difficult to hear certain voice frequencies and vowel sounds.
- You experience tinnitus: The ringing in your ears is often caused by hearing loss. You should schedule a hearing test if your tinnitus has gotten louder or the episodes last longer.
- Ear infections: Contact your doctor if you’ve treated an ear infection but the pressure and pain persist.
- Ototoxic medications: Some medications are toxic to your ears and can increase your hearing loss.
For Those Without Hearing Loss
Whether you have hearing loss or not, it’s never a bad idea to get your hearing tested. A hearing test should be done every three years. That allows your doctor to monitor any deviations from your previous tests and watch for premature hearing loss.
Hearing Test Benefits
Getting a hearing test will put to rest any suspicions or concerns you have about your hearing loss. You’ll have peace of mind and can start treatment to improve your condition. Hearing tests help audiologists determine the cause of your hearing loss and will identify any comorbidities that are affecting your health.
Treating your hearing loss will improve your social relationships and allow you to be fully present with family and friends. That means you’ll get to enjoy all the little things you may’ve otherwise missed because of your hearing loss.
Ready to start your journey to better hearing? Contact Audiology & Hearing Aid Solutions online or call 888.473.8702 to schedule your hearing test.
