When is it time to have your hearing checked? You need a hearing exam if you have any of these four signs.
Recently, my kids complained about how loud my television was. And guess what my reply was. I said, “What”? It was funny. Because it was a joke. But, in reality, it was anything but funny. I have needed to turn the TV up louder and louder lately. And that got me thinking that maybe it’s time for a hearing test.
It really doesn’t make much sense to avoid getting a hearing test. They aren’t invasive, there’s no radiation, you don’t need to worry about discomfort. You’ve most likely just been putting it on the back-burner.
You should really be more diligent about staying on top of your hearing because, if left unchecked, it can impact your overall health.
Hearing evaluations are important for many reasons. Even slight hearing loss can have an impact on your health and it’s virtually impossible to recognize early hearing loss without a hearing test.
So how can you recognize if you should schedule an appointment? Here are some signs that it’s time.
Signs you should have your hearing tested
It’s time to get a professional hearing assessment if you’ve been noticing signs of hearing loss recently. Naturally, if things are hard to hear, that’s a pretty solid indication of hearing loss.
But some of the other indications of hearing loss are more subtle:
- You have a hard time hearing when you’re in a loud environment: Have you ever been to a busy or noisy space and had difficulty hearing the conversation because of all the ambient noise? 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 identify specific sounds.
- It sounds like everybody’s always mumbling: Sometimes, it’s clarity not volume you need to be concerned about. One of the first indications of hearing loss is difficulty making out conversations. If you detect this happening more often, you may want to make an appointment for a hearing test.
- You’re always missing text messages: Mobile devices are manufactured to be loud enough for you to be able to hear. So if you keep finding text messages or calls that you failed to hear, it’s probably because you couldn’t hear them. And if you’re unable to hear your mobile device, what else might you be missing?
- Ringing that won’t subside: A typical sign of injured hearing is a ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus. Ringing in the ear may or may not indicate hearing loss. But it’s certainly an indication that you should get a hearing assessment.
Here are several other circumstances that indicate you should make an appointment for a hearing exam:
- You have an ear infection and it won’t clear up
- It’s difficult to pinpoint the source of sounds
- You take certain medications that can harm your hearing
- You have vertigo
- You have an accumulation of ear wax you’re body can’t clear by itself
This list, obviously, is not extensive. There are other examples of red flags (if, for example, the volume on your TV is maxed out and you still want it to go just a little bit louder). But any one of these signs is worth looking into.
Regular checkups
But what if, to your knowledge, you haven’t encountered any of these potential symptoms of hearing loss? So how often should you get your hearing screened? There’s a guideline for everything else, right, so there’s got to be a guideline for this. There are, in fact, some suggestions.
- Sometime after you turn 21, you need to have a hearing test. That way, you’ll have a baseline of your mature hearing.
- Every three years or so will be a practical schedule if your hearing appears normal. That can be a long time to pay attention to, so make sure they’re noted in your medical records somewhere.
- If you notice signs of hearing loss, you will want to have it tested right away, and then annually after that.
It will be easier to discover any hearing loss before any warning signs become obvious with regular screenings. The earlier you seek treatment, the better you’ll be able to maintain your hearing into the future. So it’s time to give us a call and schedule a hearing examination.
