You’re not quite sure why, but you’ve been feeling cranky lately. Well, it was annoying earlier this morning when you felt left out of the meeting at the office. Last night your daughter seemed annoyed with you when you asked her to turn up the volume of the TV over and over again leading to her suddenly leaving the house. What’s the story with that?
Perhaps the real issue is hearing loss!
Hearing loss is a problem for around 40 million people in the US and can sneak up on you with age. And the issue goes beyond only your ears. Even minor hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory loss, and even cognitive decline, according to some research. You might have a treatable medical condition causing your hearing loss but you think it’s simply a sign of aging. Perhaps, your co-workers didn’t exclude you from the conversation after all, perhaps you missed crucial conversational queues because you couldn’t hear them. The truth is, if you can’t hear very well during your day-to-day life, it can become incredibly frustrating.
Get the facts about hearing loss
A good place to start is learning more about what you’re dealing with. Hearing loss does happen to lots of individuals due to the aging process. But for others, it might be due to years of noise overexposure. Everything from the music you listened to when you were 16, to driving with the window down in heavy traffic, to mowing lawns and picking up leaves with that noisy leaf blower could contribute to hearing loss. The delicate mechanisms in your ear can be damaged by lots of sounds in the world.
Chronic diseases that become more prevalent as one grows older are a potential factor as well. High blood pressure, for example, or diabetes can both interfere with blood flow, which can cause harm to the inner ear.
Recognize the signs
People normally take their hearing for granted, so when it starts to go they don’t notice the signs:
- When individuals are having discussions, you always feel left out
- Finding it difficult to comprehend words when there is background noise like a fan or the AC
- You’re always asking people to repeat what they said or even worse, saying ‘what’ all of the time
Obviously, you’d be grumpy if you’ve been dealing with any of these signs! Feeling separated from your world can result in depression and even social solitude.
Make a plan to manage hearing loss
Start by asking a family member or a loved one if they have noticed you struggling to keep up with conversations or if you say “What?” a little too often. It’s an important discussion even if it’s a challenging one. If if they answer ‘yes’ then scheduling a hearing test should be your next move and will clarify things for you. Try to get a family member to go along with you to your exam. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive person with you.
Your hearing test will both gauge whether you’re experiencing hearing loss and how significant it has become. If hearing loss is established, we will advise the next course of action for you based on the results of the test. In the majority of cases, that will entail getting hearing aids. Don’t stress, there are so many options and features that you’re certain to get hearing aids that are perfect for your lifestyle!
How to choose quality hearing aids
We’ll have recommendations that will be best suited for your unique type of hearing loss. You will most likely need to test several brands and models before you discover the best fit for your specific taste and hearing requirements. Today’s hearing aids do a lot more than just amplify sound. They can determine the direction that sound is coming from, block out background noise, and even connect to smartphones and computers. Different brands and kinds of hearing aids have different features, so research them to find out what features you require to better your life.
Consider the style you want for your hearing aids, also. They come in various snazzy colors or with no color at all, so they’re virtually invisible.
Schedule a hearing exam with our qualified hearing specialists today if you believe you could be suffering with hearing loss. It’s time to get out of that cranky mindset and we can help!
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/