Sometimes, it’s easy to recognize when you need medical advice. When you break your leg, for instance, you know you should go to the doctor (or the emergency room, depending on the situation). You may need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the thing is that you’re unlikely to try “toughing it out”. If you want your bones to mend correctly, you need to get them taken care of as soon as possible.
But when it comes to hearing aids, it isn’t always so easy to identify when it’s time to get some help. Hearing loss usually advances very gradually over time. This means knowing when to get treatment for hearing loss can be difficult.
That’s why it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for some specific indicators that you may be losing your ability to communicate. It’s probably time to call us for a consultation if you do detect any.
Hearing aids and hearing loss
Hearing aids are the main method of treatment for hearing loss. But everybody who has some degree of hearing loss won’t automatically need hearing aids. In situations where patients have very slight hearing loss, hearing aids won’t always be beneficial. We might want you to hold off on using hearing aids because of this. Likewise, you may be advised to wear hearing aids only in particular situations.
In other words, the threshold for requiring hearing aids isn’t always a hearing loss diagnosis.
But in many situations hearing aids will be the best option. Many individuals won’t get their hearing loss diagnosed until it becomes more serious because hearing loss advances slowly and often goes undetected for a while. But if you come in for a hearing exam regularly, you might be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, because of this, you might not need hearing aids right away.
So how will you know if you have hearing loss?
You need hearing aids if you recognize these indicators
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can create instant communication issues. The funny thing, though, is that you don’t always understand that those communication challenges are caused by hearing loss. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Look out for these signs:
- You have a hard time following conversations in loud 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 trouble following conversations in noisy settings, like bars or restaurants. This occurs because your ears are not getting as much information as they used to, and your brain isn’t really capable of filling in the gaps very easily. Because of this, there’s a lot of muddled conversations.
- You’re unable to understand people on the phone: Even the highest quality phone speakers tend to flatten a voice. If you have hearing loss, this can make it even harder to understand conversations. Once again, certain frequencies are cut out and the outcome is that it’s really difficult to understand those voices.
- You have trouble making out what people are saying: Many people feel like the overall volume of life is fine so they never imagine that they may have hearing loss. But hearing loss is curious, it tends to impact specific frequencies before others. Because of this, things like vowel sounds in the higher register can sound distorted. Consequently, you might have a tough time making out what people are saying to you.
- You listen to the radio or TV at high levels: If you’re always turning up the volume on your television or radio or smartphone, it might be due to hearing loss. If you find individuals around you complaining about the loud volume of your devices, this is especially relevant.
So what can you do?
Obviously, you know exactly what you need to do when you break a bone! But what about when you experience these indications that you may need a hearing aid? How bad does hearing loss have to be to require a hearing aid? That’s not a really easy answer but you should schedule an appointment with us for a hearing exam if you start to detect any hearing loss symptoms. We’ll be able to evaluate the health of your hearing and ascertain just how severe your hearing loss may or may not be.
A hearing screening will also help you get the best possible hearing aids for your requirements if you do indeed need hearing aids. Then you will be able to get back to taking pleasure in good conversations with your friends and family members and doing the things you love.
Call us to schedule your hearing exam, we can help you recognize if you’re suffering from hearing loss.
