Sometimes, it’s easy to know when you need medical advice. You know you need to go to the doctor right away if you break a bone, 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 (particularly if you want your bones to mend themselves properly).
It isn’t always that clear cut when it comes to hearing aids, though. Hearing loss is usually a progressive condition. This means it isn’t always simple to know when you may need to start using hearing aids or to put off finding treatment you know could be beneficial.
So watching out for indications that your hearing is going is a good idea. It’s likely time to call us for a consultation if you do notice any.
Hearing loss and hearing aids
Hearing loss is mainly managed with hearing aids. But everybody who has some degree of hearing loss won’t automatically need hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be practical in cases of mild hearing loss. Consequently, we may want you to wait before beginning to use them. In addition, you may be directed to wear hearing aids only in specific situations.
Essentially, the threshold for requiring hearing aids isn’t always a hearing loss diagnosis.
But in many cases hearing aids will be the best solution. Because hearing loss can be a sneaky and slow condition, many people don’t receive a diagnosis until there’s been considerable damage. 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?
Indications you need a hearing aid
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can produce instant communication challenges. But a lot 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?
Look out for these signs:
- You can’t understand people on the phone: Voices usually sound a bit flat on even high-quality phone speakers. If you have hearing loss, this can make it even harder to understand conversations. It can be really challenging to hear voices as an outcome of the loss of these frequencies.
- When people speak, you can’t always make out 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 hearing loss is funny, it tends to impact particular frequencies before others. Due to this, things like vowel sounds in the higher pitches can sound distorted. As a result, you might have a hard time understanding what people are saying to you.
- The volume on your devices is getting really loud: If you’re always turning up the volume on your television or radio or smartphone, it may be the result of hearing loss. This is particularly true if you keep turning that volume knob higher (and even more especially relevant if the people around you complain about how loud your media is).
- When you’re in very loud settings, you have a hard time following conversations: This is probably one of the most common symptoms of hearing loss. If you have trouble 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 muddled as a result.
So how should you deal with it?
Clearly, you know exactly what you need to do when you break a bone! But what about when you detect these indications that you might need a hearing aid? What level of hearing loss requires hearing aids? Well, that’s hard to answer, but when you start noticing 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.
And if you do end up needing hearing aids, a hearing exam will help identify the best device for your hearing needs. 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.
Call us for a hearing test so we can help you improve your quality of life.
