Knowing when you need some medical advice is normally pretty easy. You know you need to go see a doctor immediately if you break a bone, for example. You might need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the point is that you’re unlikely to try “toughing it out”. If you want your bones to mend properly, you need to get them taken care of as soon as you can.
It isn’t always that obvious in terms of hearing aids, however. Hearing loss typically progresses very gradually over time. This means recognizing when to get treatment for hearing loss can be difficult.
So keeping an eye out for indications that your hearing is going is a good idea. If you observe any, it might be time to consult us about your first set of hearing aids.
Hearing loss and hearing aids
Hearing loss is primarily managed with hearing aids. But that doesn’t mean everyone who has hearing loss will immediately need a set of hearing aids. In cases where patients have very mild hearing loss, hearing aids won’t always be practical. Consequently, we might want you to wait before beginning to use them. It’s also possible that we could instruct you to only wear your hearing aids when you’re in particular situations.
This means that just because you’re diagnosed with hearing loss doesn’t mean you will automatically need hearing aids.
However, hearing aids will be the ideal answer in many circumstances. Because hearing loss can be a sneaky and gradual condition, many individuals don’t get a diagnosis until there’s been substantial damage. Getting your hearing assessed regularly is the key to catching hearing loss early and possibly mitigating the need for hearing aids.
And if that’s the situation, you’re most likely thinking: how can I tell if I need hearing aids?
You need hearing aids if you detect these indicators
Instant communication challenges can be the consequence of hearing loss. But a lot of times you don’t even recognize that hearing loss is the cause of those communication issues. So, at what point will a hearing aid help?
Here are a few of the typical signs you should look out for:
- You have a hard time following conversations in noisy places: When people ask, “What are the signs of hearing loss?”, this one is almost always mentioned. One of the surest signs of hearing loss is that you have difficulty following conversations in loud locations, like bars or restaurants. This occurs because your ears aren’t receiving as much information as they used to, and your brain isn’t really able to fill in the gaps as easily. Because of this, there’s a lot of muddled conversations.
- You listen to the radio or TV at high levels: If you’re constantly turning up the volume on your television or radio or smartphone, it may be due to hearing loss. This is particularly true if you keep turning that volume knob higher (and even more especially relevant if the people around you complain about how loud your media is).
- Phone conversations sound muffled: Even the best phone speakers tend to flatten a voice. That can make it difficult to understand, especially if you have hearing loss. It can be extremely difficult to hear voices as a result of the loss of these frequencies.
- You have problems understanding what people are saying: Many individuals feel like the total volume of life is fine so they never consider that they might have hearing loss. But hearing loss is funny, it tends to impact certain frequencies before others. Because of this, things like vowel sounds in the higher pitches can sound distorted. This could cause you to have a difficult time understanding what people are saying.
So what can you do?
When you break a bone, it’s clear cut what to do: you go to the doctor! But what do you do when you start to detect the symptoms of hearing loss? What level of hearing loss requires hearing aids? That’s not a really easy answer but you should make an appointment with us for a hearing test if you begin to notice any hearing loss symptoms. We’ll be able to evaluate the health of your hearing and find out 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 identify the best device for your hearing needs. Then you will be able to get back to enjoying good conversations with your friends and family members and doing the things you love.
Contact us to schedule your hearing exam, we can help you recognize if you’re suffering from hearing loss.