Recognizing when you require some medical advice is usually rather easy. You know you need to go see a doctor right away if you break your leg, 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 very long (especially if you want your bones to repair themselves correctly).
It’s not always that obvious with regard to hearing aids, however. Hearing loss is usually a progressive condition. That means it’s not always easy to know when you might need to start wearing hearing aids or to delay finding treatment you know could be helpful.
So watching 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 set of hearing aids.
Hearing loss and hearing aids
Hearing loss is mainly treated with hearing aids. But that doesn’t mean everybody who has hearing loss will instantly need a pair of hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be practical in cases of minor hearing loss. Consequently, we might want you to wait before beginning to use them. It’s also feasible that we could advise you to only use your hearing aids when you’re in certain situations.
This means that just because you are diagnosed with hearing loss doesn’t mean you will necessarily need hearing aids.
But in many cases hearing aids will be the best option. Many people won’t get their hearing loss diagnosed until it becomes more severe because hearing loss progresses gradually and frequently 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.
So how will you know if you have hearing loss?
You need hearing aids if you recognize these signs
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can produce instant communication challenges. But lots of times you don’t even comprehend that hearing loss is the reason for those communication issues. So, at what point will a hearing aid help you?
Look out for these signs:
- The volume on your devices is becoming 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 high volume of your devices, this is particularly relevant.
- When people talk, you can’t always understand what they said: Many people don’t think they have hearing loss or need hearing aids because the total volume they hear seems fine. But the thing about hearing loss is that particular frequencies of sound often go before others. Because of this, things like vowel sounds in the higher pitches can sound distorted. This could cause you to have a difficult time making out what people are saying.
- Phone conversations sound muddled: Even the best phone speakers tend to flatten a voice. That can make it hard to understand, especially if you have hearing loss. Again, certain frequencies are cut out and the result is that it’s extremely hard to hear those voices.
- You have a hard time following conversations in noisy places: This is probably one of the most prevailing symptoms of hearing loss. One of the surest signs of hearing loss is that you have trouble following conversations in loud places, like bars or restaurants. That’s because your brain has trouble filling in the missing information that gets lost with hearing impairment. Lots of conversations get muddled because of this.
So how should you deal with it?
Obviously, you know precisely what you have to do when you break a bone! But what about when you experience these signs that you might need a hearing aid? What level of hearing loss requires hearing aids? That’s not a really easy answer but you should make an appointment with us for a hearing exam if you start to detect any hearing loss symptoms. We will be able to let you know how severe your hearing loss is.
A hearing evaluation will also help you get the best possible hearing aids for your requirements if you do indeed need hearing aids. 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 for a hearing exam so we can help you improve your quality of life.
