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. Do you know what I said to them? I said, “What”? It was a joke. I thought it was funny. But it also wasn’t. The TV has been getting progressively louder. And I began to ask myself: should I get a hearing test?
It really doesn’t make much sense to neglect getting a hearing assessment. Hearing tests don’t cause you any discomfort, they’re non-invasive, and there’s no radiation. It’s really just that you haven’t put aside time to do it.
You should really be more diligent about keeping track of your hearing because, if left untreated, it can impact your overall health.
Hearing exams are important for a wide variety of reasons. Even mild hearing loss can have an affect on your health and it’s virtually impossible to detect early hearing loss without a hearing examination.
So how will you know if you should make an appointment? Here are a few ways to know if you need to consult with us.
Signs you should have your hearing tested
If you’ve recently experienced any of the signs of hearing loss, it’s definitely a smart plan to get a professional hearing screening. Obviously, if things are difficult to hear, that’s a pretty solid indication of hearing loss.
But that’s not the only indicator, and there are some signs of hearing loss that are far less obvious:
- It seems like people are mumbling when they talk: In some cases, it’s not loss of volume you need to be concerned with, it’s a loss of distinction. Trouble making out conversations is one of the first signs that something is going bad with your hearing. It might be time for a hearing assessment if you notice this occurring more and more frequently.
- You have a hard time hearing when you’re in a noisy setting: Have you ever been to a crowded or loud room and had difficulty following the conversation because of all the ambient noise? That could actually be a sign of hearing loss. Being able to identify sounds is one indication of healthy hearing; this ability tends to decline as hearing loss worsens.
- You don’t always hear alerts for text messages: Mobile devices are manufactured to be loud enough for you to hear. So if you’re frequently missing calls or text messages, it may be because you can’t hear them. And perhaps, when you think about it, you’re missing out on more common sounds.
- Ringing that won’t clear itself up: Ringing in your ears, which goes by the name of tinnitus, is often a sign of hearing damage. Ringing in the ear might or might not point to hearing loss. But it’s certainly an indication that you should get a hearing exam.
Here are some other circumstances that show you should make an appointment for a hearing exam:
- You regularly use specific medications that are recognized to have an effect on your hearing.
- Your ears are not clearing earwax thoroughly
- You’re experiencing episodes of vertigo
- You can’t readily detect where specific sounds are originating
- You have an ear infection and it won’t clear up
This checklist, clearly, isn’t complete. For example, if your TV’s volume is maxed and you still can’t hear it. But any one of these signs is worth following up on.
Routine examinations
But how should you deal with it when you’re not sure if you have any signs of hearing loss. So how often should you get your hearing tested? With all of the other guidelines for everything, this one seems like a no-brainer. There are, in fact, some recommendations.
- Sometime after you turn 21, you need to get a hearing assessment. That way, you’ll have a baseline of your mature hearing.
- Every three years or so will be a good schedule if your hearing seems healthy. But be sure you note these appointments in your calendar or medical records because it’s easy to forget over these large periods of time.
- You’ll want to get assessed right away if you detect any signs of hearing loss and after that once a year.
It will be easier to identify any hearing loss before any red flags become apparent with routine screenings. The earlier you find treatment, the better you’ll be able to maintain your hearing into the future. Which means, you should probably turn down your TV and schedule a hearing assessment.