Why is it essential to get your hearing assessed on a regular basis? That’s because your overall health can be significantly affected by hearing loss. Your quality of life will be improved, your health will be improved, and you will get the right treatment faster if you get tested regularly.
Getting a hearing test – who should do it?
A loss in hearing capability can generate effects that can greatly impede your health and wellness. Social isolation, for instance, can be a consequence of untreated hearing loss. Conversations with family and friends can become more challenging, and individuals who suffer from hearing loss might be less likely to reach out to other people, even during normal activities like shopping or going to work. This sort of social isolation can be harmful to your mental health and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, your physical well-being.
Other health problems can be the result of neglected hearing loss also. For example, untreated hearing loss has been associated with many chronic conditions, including cognitive decline and depression. Comorbidities, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease have also been linked to hearing loss.
This means that 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 examined can be helpful to your overall health for four specific reasons.
1. You can determine the baseline for your healthy hearing
Why would you want to get your hearing tested if it seems healthy? Well, there are a number of good reasons to get a hearing test early. Your current level of hearing can be determined by a hearing test and that’s probably the most important thing. 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 apparent.
Getting a baseline hearing exam will help identify problems well before you observe them.
2. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential
Hearing loss usually progresses slowly over time. Consequently, catching hearing loss early often means a better prognosis. If you treat the condition as early as you can, you will have more positive outcomes.
When you get treatment early it will mean doing things like using hearing protection or potentially wearing hearing aids. Many of the associated problems like cognitive decline, social isolation, and depression can be avoided with early treatment.
3. It’s easier to measure future changes
Even if you are diagnosed with hearing loss, that doesn’t mean your hearing will remain static for the rest of your life. Regular hearing exams can enable early detection and your treatment plan can be adjusted as needed.
4. Additional damage can be avoided
The majority of hearing loss is caused by damage, the type of damage that occurs gradually and over time. Seeing us regularly to get your hearing checked helps you detect that damage as early as possible, and it also gives you access to a significant resource: your hearing specialist. We can provide you with information, treatments, and best practices that can help keep your hearing as healthy as possible.
For example, we can help you determine ways to protect your ears from day-to-day damage or establish strategies created to help you keep sounds around you quieter.
What should my hearing exam routine look like?
In general, it’s suggested that adults get a hearing test sometime in their 20s or 30s, on the earlier side. It’s usually ordinary best practice to get a hearing test every ten years thereafter unless you detect signs of hearing loss or we suggest something more often.
But maybe you’re thinking: what should I expect at my hearing exam? Hearing exams are generally entirely non-invasive. Often, all you do is wear special headphones and listen for a particular sound.
We will be able to help you get the care you need, whether you need a set 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 may be.