In some cases, it’s easy to identify when you require medical advice. You know you need to go to the doctor immediately if you break your leg, for instance. You could need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the thing is that you’re not likely to try “toughing it out”. If you want your bones to mend properly, you need to get them treated as soon as possible.
It isn’t always that clear cut when it comes to hearing aids, though. Hearing loss is typically a progressive condition. That means it isn’t always simple to know when you might need to start wearing hearing aids or to delay finding treatment you know could be helpful.
So keeping an eye out for indications that your hearing is going is a good plan. If you notice any, it may be time to talk to us about your first pair 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. Hearing aids won’t always be helpful in cases of mild hearing loss. As a result, we might want you to wait before beginning to use them. Likewise, you might be instructed to wear hearing aids only in certain situations.
In other words, the threshold for needing hearing aids isn’t always a diagnosis of hearing loss.
But in many situations hearing aids will be the best answer. Many people won’t have their hearing loss diagnosed until it becomes more serious because hearing loss progresses slowly and frequently goes unnoticed for a while. But if you come in for a hearing exam regularly, you may be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, as a result, you may not require hearing aids right away.
And if that’s the situation, you’re probably thinking: how can I tell if I require hearing aids?
Signs you need a hearing aid
Instant communication issues can be the consequence of hearing loss. But lots of times you don’t even recognize that hearing loss is the reason for those communication problems. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Watch out for these indicators:
- The volume on your devices is getting very loud: Hearing loss could be the culprit if you continually need to turn the volume of your devices up. If you find people around you complaining about the loud volume of your devices, this is especially relevant.
- You have difficulty making out what people are saying: Many people don’t think they have hearing loss or need hearing aids because the overall volume they perceive seems fine. But hearing loss is curious, 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 hard time making out what people are saying.
- Phone conversations sound muddled: Voices typically sound a little flat on even high-quality phone speakers. If you have hearing loss, this can make it even more challenging to understand conversations. Again, specific frequencies are missing and the result is that it’s really hard to hear those voices.
- When you’re in noisy locations, you have a difficult time following conversations: This is probably one of the most common symptoms of hearing loss. 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 difficulty filling in the missing information that you lose when you have hearing impairment. Lots of conversations get muffled because of this.
So what should you do?
Clearly, you know exactly what you have to do when you break a bone! But what about when you notice these indications that you may need a hearing aid? How bad does hearing loss have to be to require a hearing aid? Well, that’s difficult to answer, but when you begin experiencing these signs, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with us. We will be able to inform you about how serious your hearing loss is.
A hearing test will also help you get the most effective hearing aids for your requirements if you do indeed need hearing aids. This means you’ll be able to get back to communicating with your friends and loved ones, you’ll hear your grandkids when they give you a call, your co-workers at your morning meeting, and your friends at the pub.
Contact us to schedule your hearing test, we can help you recognize if you’re suffering from hearing loss.