Why is it important to get your hearing screened on a regular basis? That’s because your overall health can be significantly impacted by hearing loss. Getting your hearing screened regularly can help you detect hearing loss early, get care faster, and, improve your health, well-being, and quality of life.
Getting a hearing test – who should do it?
A loss in hearing ability can produce effects that can seriously hamper your health and well-being. Social isolation, for instance, can be a result of untreated hearing loss. Even while doing tasks such as going to the store, people who suffer from hearing loss will often avoid reaching out to friends and family because they have a difficult time understanding conversations. It might not be shocking that this kind of social isolation can result in mental health problems, but it may come as a surprise to discover that it can be detrimental to your physical health too.
Hearing loss can trigger other issues as well. Numerous chronic conditions, including depression and cognitive decline, have been linked to untreated hearing loss. It’s also been associated with various comorbidities, including diabetes, heart conditions, and high blood pressure.
As a result, it’s generally a good idea for just about anybody to schedule a routine hearing test.
Four reasons to check your hearing
Getting your hearing checked can be helpful to your overall health for four distinct reasons.
1. Setting a baseline for your hearing is significant
Why would you want to have your hearing checked if it seems healthy? Well, getting a hearing test early is a good idea for a number of reasons. The most significant is that a hearing test will give us an accurate picture of your present hearing health. If your hearing changes in the future, this will make it easier to identify. This is especially true because hearing loss tends to develop slowly, the first symptoms aren’t always obvious.
Getting a baseline hearing exam will help detect issues well before you notice them.
2. Diagnose and treat issues earlier
Hearing loss normally advances gradually over time. Consequently, identifying hearing loss early often means a better prognosis. This is because you’re able to treat the condition at the earliest possible time.
When you get treatment early it will mean doing things like using hearing protection or possibly wearing hearing aids. Many of the associated issues like dementia, social isolation, and depression can be avoided with early treatment.
3. Future changes will be easier to assess
Your hearing loss will keep progressing even after you get diagnosed. Regular hearing tests can help you identify changes as you go along, and make adjustments to your treatment plan as needed.
4. You can avoid further damage to your ears
The majority of hearing loss is caused by damage, the kind of damage that occurs gradually and over time. Your hearing specialist is a significant resource and seeing us regularly will help you detect any hearing loss as early as possible. We can help you keep your ears as healthy as possible by providing you with treatments, best practices, and information.
For instance, we can help you figure out ways to safeguard your ears from day-to-day damage or establish strategies created to help you keep sounds around you quieter.
What should my hearing test routine look like?
On the earlier side, adults should wait no longer than their early twenties to start routine hearing exams. It’s usually ordinary best practice to get a hearing exam every ten years thereafter unless you observe signs of hearing loss or we suggest something more frequently.
What should I expect my hearing exam to be like? In general, they’re completely non-invasive procedures. Usually, you simply listen for some tones in a special pair of headphones.
We will be able to help you get the care you require, whether you need a pair of hearing aids or you simply need to protect your ears. And a hearing exam can help you figure out when the best time to get your care might be.