You’re not quite sure why, but you’ve been feeling cranky lately. Well, you did feel excluded earlier this morning when no one bothered to pull you into the meeting discussion at the office and that was annoying. The other night your daughter seemed irritated with you when you asked her to turn the tv volume up over and over again resulting in her suddenly leaving the house. Why would she do that?
Did you ever stop to think that maybe you could be experiencing hearing loss?
Hearing loss is a problem for roughly 40 million individuals in the US and can sneak up on you with age. And, the problem doesn’t end at your ears, either. Even slight hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory loss, and even dementia, according to some research. What you may believe is just a sign of age, could actually be a treatable medical problem. Perhaps, you missed significant conversational cues and your coworkers didn’t actually exclude you from the meeting after all. Honestly, it can be exceedingly aggravating when you can’t hear during your daily life.
Discover more about hearing loss
A good place to begin is finding out more about what you’re dealing with. For many individuals, hearing loss is a natural side effect of getting older. But for others, it might be due to years of noise overexposure. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by lots of noise sources, like mowing the lawn and leaf blowing, listening to loud music, and driving in heavy traffic with the window down. The fragile mechanisms in your ear can be harmed by lots of noises in the world.
Another potential source of hearing loss is chronic disease that becomes more prevalent with age. When you have conditions that cause problems with your blood pressure, your inner ear can become damaged.
Recognize the signs
People usually take their hearing for granted, so when it begins to go they don’t recognize the signs:
- When there’s background sound, like an AC or fan running, you have a hard time hearing words
- When people are having discussions, you always feel excluded
- You regularly say “what” and often need people to repeat what they said
Naturally, you’d be grumpy if you’ve been coping with any of these signs! Depression and social solitude can be the outcome of feeling detached from your world.
Create a plan to manage hearing loss
One of the very first things you can do is ask family and friends if they have noticed you having a difficult time hearing. It might seem like a difficult discussion but it’s a really worthwhile one. If if they answer ‘yes’ then scheduling a hearing exam should be your next move and will clarify things for you. Try to get a family member to accompany you to your appointment. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive presence with you.
Your hearing test will both gauge whether you’re dealing with hearing loss and how significant it has become. If hearing loss is identified, we will recommend the next course of action for you depending on the results of the test. In most cases, that will entail getting hearing aids. Don’t worry, there are so many options and features that you’re sure to find hearing aids that fit your lifestyle!
How to pick quality hearing aids
Everybody’s hearing loss is unique and we will help you decide what treatment will be best for yours. You will most likely need to test several brands and models before you discover the best fit for your specific taste and hearing needs. Today’s hearing aids do a lot more than simply amplify sound. They can block out background noises, connect to smartphones and computers, and even pinpoint the direction that sound is coming from. Different brands and types of hearing aids include different features, so do some research to find out what features you require to improve your life.
Also, don’t forget to think about styles. They come in lots of fashionable colors or with no color at all, so they are virtually invisible.
Schedule a hearing test with our qualified hearing specialists right away if you suspect you may be experiencing hearing loss. It’s time to get out of that cranky mindset and we can help!
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/
