You’re not quite sure why, but you’ve been feeling moody lately. Well, it was frustrating earlier today when you felt left out of the meeting at the office. Last night your daughter seemed irritated with you when you asked her to turn up the volume of the TV over and over again resulting in her suddenly leaving the house. What’s the story with that?
Did you ever stop to think that perhaps you could be suffering from hearing loss?
As you age hearing loss can take you by surprise and over 40 million individuals in the US suffer with it. And, the issue doesn’t end at your ears, either. Research indicates that even slight hearing loss puts you at risk for memory issues, cognitive decline, and even depression. What you may presume is simply a sign of age, may actually be a treatable medical problem. Maybe, you missed significant conversational cues and your coworkers didn’t actually exclude you from the meeting after all. The fact is, if you can’t hear properly during your day-to-day life, it can become incredibly frustrating.
Get the facts about hearing loss
A good place to begin is finding out more about what you’re coping with. For many individuals, hearing loss is a natural side effect of getting older. But years of exposure to excessively loud noise can also be the cause for others. Everything from the music you listened to when you were 16, to driving with the window down in traffic, to mowing lawns and picking up leaves with that noisy leaf blower could contribute to hearing loss. The world is full of potentially ear-damaging noise that can deteriorate the fragile mechanisms that help you hear.
Another potential source of hearing loss is chronic disease that becomes more common as we age. High blood pressure, for example, or diabetes can both interfere with blood flow, which causes harm to the inner ear.
Recognize the signs
People typically don’t recognize when their hearing starts to go because hearing is frequently taken for granted:
- Struggling to understand words when there’s background noise like a fan or the AC
- When individuals are having discussions, you continually feel left out
- You’re always asking people to repeat what they said or even worse, saying ‘what’ a lot
Obviously, you’d be grumpy if you’ve been dealing with any of these signs! Depression and social solitude can be the outcome of feeling separated from your world.
Make a plan to treat hearing loss
One of the very first things you can do is ask family and friends if they have observed you having a difficult time hearing. It may seem like a challenging discussion but it’s a very worthwhile one. A hearing examination should be the next thing that you do, particularly if people have noticed you having a difficult time hearing. Try to get a family member to accompany you to your appointment. A supportive, calming presence can be most helpful.
Your hearing exam will not only help to confirm your hearing loss but it will also gauge the degree of it. If hearing loss is determined, we will advise the next course of action for you based on the results of the exam. In the majority of cases, that will entail getting hearing aids. You’ll definitely be able to get a pair of hearing aids that will best fit your situation since there are so many styles and options to choose from.
Deciding on quality hearing aids
Everyone’s hearing loss is unique and we will help you determine what treatment will be best for yours. Take some to time find the right brand and model for your needs, this may require testing several styles and models. Hearing aids don’t just amplify sound these days. They can block out background noises, connect to smartphones and computers, and even pinpoint the direction of a sound. Different brands and types of hearing aids include different features, so research them to determine what features you require to better your life.
Consider the style you want for your hearing aids, as well. They come in lots of snazzy colors or with no color at all, so they’re practically invisible.
Schedule a hearing test with our qualified hearing specialists today if you suspect you could be experiencing hearing loss. Don’t you think it’s time to take action and end your grumpy state of mind?
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/