In some cases, it’s easy to recognize when you require medical advice. You know you need to go see a doctor immediately if you break a bone, for example. With situations like this, simply “toughing it out” isn’t a possibility. At least, not for that long (especially if you want your bones to repair themselves correctly).
It’s not always that clear cut with regard to hearing aids, however. Hearing loss usually progresses very slowly over time. This means knowing 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 plan. If you notice any, it might be time to talk to us about your first set of hearing aids.
Hearing aids and hearing loss
Hearing loss is mainly treated with hearing aids. But everyone who has some level of hearing loss won’t automatically need hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be practical in cases of mild hearing loss. Because of this, we may want you to wait before beginning to use them. Likewise, you may be instructed to wear hearing aids only in specific situations.
In other words, the threshold for needing hearing aids isn’t always a diagnosis of hearing loss.
But in many instances hearing aids will be the best solution. Many people won’t get their hearing loss diagnosed until it becomes more severe because hearing loss develops slowly and often goes undetected for a while. Getting your hearing examined 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 require hearing aids?
You need hearing aids if you experience these signs
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can produce immediate communication difficulties. The interesting thing, though, is that you don’t always comprehend that those communication obstacles are caused by hearing loss. So, at what point will a hearing aid help?
Here are some of the common signs you should watch out for:
- You listen to the radio or TV at high levels: Hearing loss could be the cause if you continually need to crank the volume of your devices up. If you find individuals around you complaining about the high volume of your devices, this is particularly relevant.
- When people speak, you can’t always make out what they said: Many individuals don’t think they have hearing loss or need hearing aids because the total volume they hear seems fine. But hearing loss is curious, it tends to impact specific frequencies before others. Which means that the great majority of sounds might seem ordinary but things in the high frequencies (like particular vowels) will be distorted. Consequently, you may have a tough time understanding what people are saying to you.
- You can’t understand people on the phone: Even the highest quality phone speakers tend to flatten a voice. That can make it difficult to understand, especially if you have hearing loss. It can be really difficult to hear voices as an outcome of the loss of these frequencies.
- You have a tough time following conversations in loud places: When people ask, “What are the signs of hearing loss?”, this one is almost always mentioned. If you have difficulty hearing conversations in noisy places, that’s often a sure sign that you have hearing loss. That’s because your brain has trouble filling in the missing information that you lose when you have hearing impairment. A lot of conversations get muffled as a result.
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 experience these signs that you may need a hearing aid? How severe does hearing loss have to be to require a hearing aid? Well, that’s difficult to answer, but when you start detecting these signs, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with us. We’ll be able to assess the health of your hearing and find out just how severe your hearing loss may or may not be.
A hearing test will also help you get the optimal hearing aids for your needs if you do indeed need hearing aids. Then you will be able to get back to enjoying good conversations with your friends and loved ones and doing the things you love.
Call us for a hearing exam so we can help you improve your quality of life.
