You’re not quite sure why, but you’ve been feeling moody lately. Well, it was irritating earlier today when you felt left out of the meeting at work. 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 abruptly leaving the house. Why would she do that?
Maybe the real issue is hearing loss!
Hearing loss is a problem for about 40 million people in the US and can sneak up on you with age. And the problem goes beyond just your ears. Research reveals that even mild hearing loss puts you at risk for memory problems, dementia, and even depression. You could have a treatable medical condition causing your hearing loss but you think it’s merely a sign of aging. Maybe, you missed significant conversational cues and your coworkers didn’t actually leave you out of the meeting after all. The fact is, if you can’t hear properly during your everyday life, it can become incredibly frustrating.
Discover more about hearing loss
A good place to start is discovering more about what you’re dealing with. For many individuals, hearing loss is a normal side effect of getting older. But for other people, it might be caused by years of noise overexposure. 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 sound that can erode the fragile mechanisms that help you hear.
Another potential cause of hearing loss is chronic disease that becomes more common as we grow older. High blood pressure, for instance, or diabetes can both interfere with blood flow, which can cause harm to the inner ear.
Recognize the signs
People normally take their hearing for granted, so when it begins to go they don’t recognize the signs:
- You always feel like you are being left out of the conversations
- When there’s background noise, like an AC or fan running, you struggle to hear words
- You frequently say “what” and often need people to repeat themselves
If you recognize any of these hearing loss symptoms, it’s no wonder you’re grumpy! Depression and social solitude can be the outcome of feeling detached from your world.
Make a plan to manage hearing loss
Begin by asking a family member or a loved one if they have seen you struggling to keep up with conversations or if you say “What?” a little too often. It might seem like a difficult discussion but it’s a really important one. A hearing exam should be the next thing that you do, especially if people have observed you having a difficult time hearing. Try to get a family member to accompany you to your appointment. A supportive, calming friend can be extremely helpful.
Your hearing test will not only help to confirm your hearing loss but it will also gauge the extent of it. If hearing loss is established, we will advise the next strategy for you depending on the results of the exam. Normally, hearing aids will be a principal part of the treatment plan. You’ll certainly 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.
Picking out quality hearing aids
We’ll have suggestions that will be best suited for your unique type of hearing loss. Take some to time choose the right brand and model for your needs, this could require testing several styles and models. Today’s hearing aids do lots more than simply amplify sound. They can block out background sounds, link to smartphones and computers, and even determine the direction that sound is coming from. Different brands and types of hearing aids offer different features, so do some research to determine what features you require to improve your life.
Consider the style you want for your hearing aids, too. 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?
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/