When is it time to have your hearing checked? Here are four signs that you need to have your hearing assessed.
I guess my TV is regularly cranked up to the point where my kids recently complained. And guess what my reply was. I said, “What”? It was a joke. I thought it was amusing. But it also wasn’t. I have needed to turn the TV up louder and louder as of late. And that got me thinking that perhaps it’s time for a hearing test.
There aren’t all that many excuses not to make an appointment for a hearing exam. Hearing tests don’t cause you any discomfort, they’re non-invasive, and there isn’t any radiation. You’ve most likely just been putting it off.
You should really be more diligent about staying on top of your hearing because, if left untreated, it can affect your general health.
Hearing evaluations are essential for a wide variety of reasons. It’s usually challenging for you to identify the earliest signs of hearing loss without one, and even mild hearing impairment can affect your health.
So when should you have a hearing test? Here are a few ways to know if you need to come see us.
Signs you should get a hearing test
It’s time to get a professional hearing test if you’ve been experiencing symptoms of hearing loss recently. Obviously, if things are hard to hear, that’s a pretty solid indication of hearing loss.
But that’s not the only symptom, and there are some signs of hearing impairment that are far less apparent:
- You always miss alerts for text messages: Your cellphone (or mobile device, as they’re called these days) is designed to be loud. So if you keep noticing text messages or calls that you missed, it’s probably because you didn’t hear them. And if you can’t hear your mobile device, what else are you missing?
- You have a tough time hearing when you’re in a noisy setting: Have you ever had a difficult time keeping up with conversations because of background noise in a busy room? If this seems familiar you could be developing hearing loss. As your hearing goes from healthy to impaired, one of the first signs is the loss of the ability to isolate distinct sounds.
- Chronic ringing in your ears: A typical sign of injured hearing is a ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus. Ringing in the ear might or might not point to hearing loss. But it’s definitely an indication that you should get a hearing assessment.
- It seems like people are mumbling when they talk: Sometimes, it’s not loss of volume you need to be concerned with, it’s a loss of distinction. One of the earlier symptoms of hearing loss is trouble following conversations. If you notice this happening more often, you might want to schedule a hearing test.
Here are several other situations that indicate you should schedule a hearing exam:
- You take specific medications that can damage your hearing
- you’re experiencing an ear infection and it won’t clear up
- You’re experiencing episodes of vertigo
- You have an accumulation of ear wax you’re body can’t clear by itself
- You can’t readily detect where particular sounds are originating
This checklist, clearly, isn’t complete. For example, if your TV’s volume is maxed and you still can’t hear it. But any one of these signs is worth looking into.
Regular checkups
But how should you cope with it when you’re not certain if you have any symptoms of hearing loss. So how often should you get your hearing checked? With all of the other guidelines for everything, this one seems like a no-brainer. There are, in fact, some suggestions.
- Sometime after you turn 21, you need to have a hearing assessment. That way, you’ll have a standard of your mature hearing.
- Every three years or so will be a good schedule if your hearing seems healthy. But be sure you mark these appointments in your calendar or medical records because it’s easy to forget over these large periods of time.
- You’ll want to get tested right away if you detect any signs of hearing loss and after that once a year.
It will be easier to identify any hearing loss before any warning signs become apparent with regular screenings. The earlier you obtain treatment, the better you’ll be able to protect your hearing in the long run. Which means, you should probably turn your TV down and schedule a hearing examination.
