Why is it essential to have your hearing examined on a regular basis? That’s because your overall health can be substantially affected by hearing loss. Your quality of life will be improved, your health will be improved, and you will get proper treatment faster if you get tested regularly.
Who should get a hearing test?
Your health and well-being can be seriously impacted by untreated hearing loss. For instance, hearing loss can lead to intense social isolation. Conversations with family and friends can become more challenging, and those who suffer from hearing loss may be less likely to reach out to others, even during routine activities like grocery shopping or going to work. This kind of social isolation can be detrimental to your mental health and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, your physical wellness.
Other health concerns can be the result of untreated hearing loss also. For instance, neglected hearing loss has been associated with many chronic conditions, including cognitive decline and depression. It’s also been associated with various comorbidities, including diabetes, heart problems, and high blood pressure.
So scheduling a routine hearing exam will be a good plan for pretty much everybody.
Four reasons to check your hearing
There are four significant reasons why keeping an eye on your hearing can be beneficial to your overall health.
1. You can discover the baseline for your healthy hearing
Why would you want to get your hearing checked if it seems healthy? Well, there are several good reasons to take a hearing exam early. Your current level of hearing can be determined by a hearing test and that’s probably the most important thing. This will make it much easier to identify any changes in the future. This is especially true because hearing loss tends to develop slowly, the first symptoms aren’t always apparent.
Getting a baseline hearing test will help identify issues well before you observe them.
2. Early diagnosis and treatment is important
Hearing loss is usually a gradual condition, meaning it tends to get worse over time. As a result, identifying hearing loss early frequently means a better prognosis. If you treat the condition as early as possible, 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. Treatment can help you avoid many of the related issues listed above, such as dementia, depression, and social isolation.
3. It’s easier to measure future changes
Your hearing loss will continue to progress even after you get diagnosed. Regular hearing exams can help you detect changes as you go along, and make adjustments to your treatment plan as necessary.
4. Further damage can be prevented
The majority of hearing loss is caused by damage, the kind of damage that happens slowly and over time. Your hearing specialist is a significant resource and visiting us regularly will help you identify 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 example, we can help you determine ways to safeguard your ears from day-to-day damage or establish strategies designed to help you keep sounds around you quieter.
What should my hearing test routine look like?
On the earlier side, adults should put off no longer than their early twenties to start routine hearing tests. Unless we recommend more frequent visits or if you detect any hearing problems, at least every ten years will be the advised interval for hearing assessments.
But maybe you’re thinking: what should I expect at my hearing exam? Generally, they’re entirely 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 treatment you need, whether you need a pair of hearing aids or you simply need to protect your ears. And we can help you determine what your hearing test schedule should be.