When is it time to get a hearing exam? You need a hearing test if you have any of these four signs.
I guess my TV is frequently cranked up to the point where my kids recently complained. Do you know what my response was? I said, “What”? It was humorous. Because it was a joke. But, in some ways, it was anything but funny. I have needed to turn the TV up increasingly louder lately. And that got me thinking that perhaps it’s time for a hearing test.
It really doesn’t make much sense to avoid getting a hearing test. They aren’t invasive, there’s no radiation, you don’t have to worry about discomfort. You’ve probably just been putting it on the back-burner.
You should really be more vigilant about keeping track of your hearing because, if left unchecked, it can impact your overall health.
Hearing assessments are important for a wide variety of reasons. Even slight hearing loss can have an impact on your health and it’s almost impossible to detect early hearing loss without a hearing examination.
So how will you know if you should make an appointment? Here are some signs that it’s time.
You should have your hearing tested if you experience these signs
It’s time to get a professional hearing assessment if you’ve been experiencing symptoms of hearing loss recently. Clearly, it’s a powerful indication of hearing loss if you’re having a difficult time hearing.
But some of the other indications of hearing loss are more subtle:
- It’s hard to hear in noisy venues: Have you ever had a difficult time keeping up with conversations because of background noise in a busy room? That may actually be a sign of hearing loss. Being able to isolate sounds is one sign of a healthy ear; this ability tends to decline as hearing loss worsens.
- It seems like people are mumbling when they speak: Sometimes, it’s not loss of volume you need to worry about, it’s a loss of distinction. One of the first symptoms of hearing loss is trouble making out conversations. If you detect this happening more and more, you may want to make an appointment for a hearing exam.
- You don’t always hear alerts for text messages: Mobile devices are made to be loud enough for you to hear. So if you keep noticing text messages or calls that you failed to hear, it’s probably because you couldn’t hear them. And if you’re unable to hear your mobile device, what else are you missing?
- Ringing that won’t go away: A common sign of damaged hearing is a ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus. If you’re experiencing some ringing that won’t go away, it may or may not be a symptom of hearing loss. But if the ringing won’t go away, you should absolutely come see us for a hearing evaluation.
Here are a few other circumstances that show you should make an appointment for a hearing screening:
- Your ear hasn’t cleared after an infection
- Your ears are not removing earwax completely
- You frequently use certain medications that are recognized to have an effect on your hearing.
- It’s difficult to pinpoint the source of sounds
- You’re experiencing episodes of vertigo
This list, clearly, isn’t thorough. For instance, if your TV’s volume is at max and you still can’t hear it. But any one of these symptoms is worth looking into.
Regular checkups
But how should you cope with it when you’re not sure if you have any symptoms of hearing loss. So how often should you get your hearing tested? There’s a guideline for everything else, right, so there’s got to be a guideline for this. Well, yes, there are suggestions.
- Sometime after you turn 21, you should get a hearing test. That way, you’ll have a baseline of your mature hearing.
- If your hearing is normal, undergo hearing examinations or tests every three years or so. But make sure you mark these appointments in your calendar or medical records because it’s easy to forget over these long periods of time.
- You’ll want to get tested right away if you notice any signs of hearing loss and after that once every year.
Regular examinations can help you detect hearing loss before any red flags surface. You will have a better chance of maintaining your hearing over time the sooner you get checked. Which means, you should probably turn your TV down and schedule a hearing examination.