According to one recent survey, nearly 30% of people have gone more than ten years without getting a hearing test. Sofia is one of them. She goes to her annual doctor’s appointments, she sees a dentist every six months, and she gets the oil changed in her car every 3000 miles. But she can’t remember the last time she took a hearing exam or underwent any sort of accurate hearing assessment.
Hearing assessments are beneficial for a wide variety of reasons, the most prominent of which is that it’s often hard for you to discover the earliest signs of hearing loss without one. Knowing how often she should get a hearing exam will help Sofia keep her ears (and hearing) as healthy as she can for as long as possible.
How Frequently Should You Have a Hearing Assessment?
If the last time Sofia took a hearing test was ten years ago, we may be alarmed. Or we might think it’s completely normal. Our reaction, and the reaction of her hearing specialist, most likely will vary depending on her age. This is because hearing specialists have different guidelines based on age.
- If you’re older than fifty: But if you’re over fifty, the recommendation is, you have a hearing test each year. As you get older, the noise damage you’ve suffered over a lifetime can begin to accelerate, meaning hearing loss is more likely to begin impacting your life. There are also several other variables that can impact your hearing.
- At least every three years, it’s recommended that you take a hearing assessment. There’s no problem having your ears tested more often, of course! But once every three years is the bare minimum. If you are exposed to loud noise regularly or work at a job where noise is typical, you should decide to get screened more often. It’s easy and painless and there’s truly no reason not to do it.
As far as your hearing is concerned, more often is certainly better. The sooner you recognize any issues, the sooner you’ll be capable of addressing whatever hearing loss that might have developed since your last hearing exam.
You Should Get Your Hearing Checked if You Notice These Signs
Obviously, your yearly (or semi-annual) hearing test isn’t the only good occasion to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist. For example, if you notice signs of hearing loss. And in those instances, it’s often a good plan to immediately get in touch with a hearing professional and schedule a hearing exam.
Some of the signs that might prompt you to get a hearing test could include:
- When you’re in a noisy situation, you have difficulty hearing conversations.
- Sounds seem muffled; it starts to sound as if you constantly have water in your ears.
- When you’re speaking with people, you constantly need to keep asking people to speak up.
- Having a very hard time comprehending people when talking on the phone, mobile or otherwise
- Having a tough time making out consonants (generally speaking, consonants are spoken in a higher pitch than vowels, and it’s those high-frequency sounds that are generally the first to go as hearing loss takes hold)
- Cranking your television or car stereo to excessively high volumes (if your neighbors begin to complain, that’s a good sign you need to see a hearing specialist soon).
When these warning signs begin to add up, it’s a good indication that the perfect time to have a hearing test is right now. The sooner you have your hearing examined, the sooner you’ll know what’s going on with your ears.
What Are The Benefits of Hearing Testing?
Sophia might be late for her hearing exam for several reasons. Denial is a top choice. Potentially she’s just avoiding dealing with it. But there are tangible benefits to getting your hearing checked per recommendations.
Even when your hearing is completely healthy, a hearing exam can help create a standard reading, which makes variances in the future easier to detect. You can safeguard your hearing better if you identify it before it becomes an issue.
The reason for regular hearing assessment is that somebody like Sofia will be able to identify problems before her hearing is impaired permanently. Early diagnosis by a hearing exam can help your hearing stay healthy for a long time. Thinking about the impact of hearing loss on your total health, that’s important.