Sometimes, it’s easy to recognize when you need medical help. You know you need to go to the doctor right away if you break your leg, for instance. You could need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the point is that you’re unlikely to try “toughing it out”. If you want your bones to heal properly, you need to get them taken care of as soon as you can.
It’s not always that obvious when it comes to hearing aids, however. Hearing loss is typically a progressive condition. This means recognizing when to get treatment for hearing loss can be difficult.
That’s why it’s a good idea to watch out for some specific signposts that you may be losing your ability to communicate. It’s probably time to call us for a consultation if you do notice any.
Hearing aids and hearing loss
Hearing loss is primarily treated with hearing aids. But everybody who has some level of hearing loss won’t necessarily need hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be practical in cases of minor hearing loss. We might want you to hold off on using hearing aids as a result. It’s also possible that we could instruct you to only use your hearing aids when you’re in particular situations.
Essentially, the threshold for requiring hearing aids is not always a hearing loss diagnosis.
But in many instances hearing aids will be the best solution. Many individuals won’t have their hearing loss diagnosed until it becomes more serious because hearing loss develops slowly and often goes unnoticed for a while. But if you come in to see us regularly, you may be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, as a result, you might not need hearing aids right away.
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 immediate communication challenges. The funny thing, though, is that you don’t always understand that those communication obstacles are caused by hearing loss. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Here are some of the typical signs you should look out for:
- You listen to the radio or TV at high volumes: If you’re always turning the volume up 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).
- 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 more challenging to understand conversations. Once again, specific frequencies are cut out and the result is that it’s very difficult to hear those voices.
- When people talk, you can’t always make out what they said: Many individuals feel like the overall volume of life is fine so they never consider that they might have hearing loss. But the thing about hearing loss is that certain frequencies of sound often go before others. Because of this, things like vowel sounds in the higher pitches can sound distorted. Consequently, you may have a tough time making out what people are saying to you.
- When you’re in noisy locations, you have a difficult time following conversations: This is probably one of the most common symptoms of hearing loss. If you have trouble hearing conversations in loud places, that’s often a sure sign that you have hearing loss. That’s because your brain has difficulty filling in the missing information that gets lost with hearing impairment. Lots of conversations get muffled because of this.
So what should you do?
Clearly, you know exactly what you have to do when you break a bone! But what about when you detect these signs that you might need a hearing aid? What degree of hearing loss requires hearing aids? That isn’t a really easy answer but you should schedule an appointment with us for a hearing assessment if you begin to notice any hearing loss symptoms. We will be able to let you know how severe your hearing loss is.
A hearing test will also help you get the best possible hearing aids for your needs 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.
Contact us to schedule your hearing test, we can help you understand if you’re suffering from hearing loss.