In some cases, it’s easy to identify when you need medical help. You know you need to go to the doctor immediately if you break a bone, for example. You could need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the point is that you’re not likely to try “toughing it out”. At least, not for that long (particularly if you want your bones to mend themselves properly).
But with regard to hearing aids, it isn’t always so easy to identify when it’s time to get some help. Hearing loss is usually a progressive condition. This means knowing when to get treatment for hearing loss can be tricky.
So watching out for indications that your hearing is going is a good idea. It’s likely time to call us for a consultation if you do detect any.
Hearing loss and hearing aids
Hearing loss is primarily managed with hearing aids. But everyone who has some degree of hearing loss won’t necessarily need hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be helpful in cases of minor hearing loss. Consequently, we may want you to wait before beginning to use them. Likewise, you might be instructed to wear hearing aids only in specific situations.
This means that just because you’re diagnosed with hearing loss doesn’t mean you will automatically require hearing aids.
However, hearing aids will be the ideal solution in many instances. Because hearing loss can be a sneaky and slow condition, lots of people don’t receive a diagnosis until there’s been substantial damage. Getting your hearing examined regularly is the key to catching hearing loss early and possibly mitigating the need for hearing aids.
So how will you know if you have hearing loss?
You need hearing aids if you experience these indicators
Instant communication challenges can be the consequence of hearing loss. The funny thing, though, is that you don’t always understand that those communication difficulties are due to hearing loss. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Look out for these indicators:
- You’re unable to understand people on the phone: Even the best phone speakers have a habit of flattening a voice. That can make it difficult to understand, particularly if you have hearing loss. It can be extremely difficult to hear voices as an outcome of the loss of these frequencies.
- You listen to the radio or TV at high levels: If you’re constantly turning the volume up on your television or radio or smartphone, it may be the result of hearing loss. This is especially 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).
- You have a difficult time hearing conversations in noisy places: When people ask, “What are the signs of hearing loss?”, this one almost always comes up. If you have a hard time hearing conversations in noisy places, that’s usually a sure sign that you have hearing loss. That’s because your brain has a hard time filling in the missing information that gets lost with hearing impairment. Lots of conversations get muffled as a result.
- When people speak, you can’t always make out what they said: Many people feel like the overall volume of life is fine so they never consider that they might have hearing loss. But the thing about hearing loss is that certain frequencies of sound often go before others. Which means that the vast majority of sounds might seem normal but things in the high frequencies (like certain vowels) will be distorted. This could cause you to have a tough time understanding what people are saying.
So how should you deal with it?
When you break your leg, it’s obvious what to do: you go to the doctor! But what about when you notice these indications that you might need a hearing aid? How severe does hearing loss need to be to require a hearing aid? That’s not a very easy answer but you should schedule an appointment with us for a hearing test if you start to detect any hearing loss symptoms. We’ll be able to assess the health of your hearing and determine just how severe your hearing loss may or may not be.
And if you do wind up needing hearing aids, a hearing assessment will help determine 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.
Call us to schedule your hearing test, we can help you understand if you’re suffering from hearing loss.