Why is it worthwhile to have your hearing assessed regularly? Well, the truth is that hearing loss can have significant and long-term effects on your overall wellness. Your quality of life will be improved, your health will be enhanced, and you will get the right treatment faster if you get screened regularly.
Getting a hearing exam – who should do it?
Your health and well-being can be significantly affected by untreated hearing loss. For example, hearing loss can result in intense social isolation. Even while carrying out tasks like going to the store, people who suffer from hearing loss will tend to avoid reaching out to family and friends because they have a hard time making out conversations. It might not be shocking that this type of social isolation can result in mental health problems, but it may come as a surprise to find out that it can be detrimental to your physical health too.
Other health concerns can be the result of untreated hearing loss also. Numerous chronic conditions, including depression and cognitive decline, have been linked to neglected hearing loss. It’s also been linked to various comorbidities, including diabetes, heart issues, and high blood pressure.
This means that it’s generally a good idea for just about anyone to schedule a routine hearing test.
Four reasons to monitor your hearing
Getting your hearing examined can be helpful to your overall health for four distinct reasons.
1. Establishing a baseline for your hearing is important
It might seem foolish to get your hearing tested while your hearing is still healthy, right? Well, there are several good reasons to get a hearing exam early. The most significant is that a hearing test will give us a detailed picture of your present hearing health. This will make it far easier to identify any changes in the future. Early symptoms of hearing loss often go undetected because hearing loss usually progresses gradually over time.
Before you observe any symptoms, a hearing test will help detect hearing loss in its early stages.
2. Early diagnosis and treatment is important
Hearing loss is typically a gradual condition, meaning it often gets worse over time. You’ll have a better prognosis, as a result, if you recognize your hearing loss early. This is because you’re capable of treating the condition at the earliest possible juncture.
Early treatment could include anything from taking steps to safeguard your hearing such as using ear protection in loud spaces to using hearing aids. Treatment can help prevent many of the related problems listed above, such as dementia, depression, and social isolation.
3. Future changes will be easier to measure
Even if you are diagnosed with hearing loss, that doesn’t mean your hearing won’t continue to get worse as you get older. Regular hearing exams can enable early detection and your treatment plan can be adjusted as needed.
4. Further damage can be avoided
Most hearing loss is caused by damage, the kind of damage that happens gradually and over time. Seeing us regularly to get your hearing checked helps you identify that damage as early as possible, and it also gives you access to a considerable resource: your hearing specialist. We can give you information, treatments, and best practices that can help keep your hearing as healthy as possible.
For instance, we can help you determine ways to safeguard your ears from day-to-day damage or establish strategies created to help you keep sounds around you quieter.
What should my hearing test routine look like?
On the earlier side, adults should wait no longer than their early twenties to begin routine hearing exams. It’s usually standard best practice to get a hearing exam every ten years thereafter unless you observe signs of hearing loss or we recommend something more frequently.
What should I expect my hearing test to be like? Generally, they’re completely non-invasive procedures. Frequently, all you do is wear special headphones and listen for a particular sound.
Whether you need some hearing protection or a new pair of hearing aids, we will be able to help you with the best hearing care. And we can help you figure out what your hearing exam schedule should be.