According to studies, many people get their eyes inspected every month but do not regularly have their hearing checked when it comes to their health. That’s unfortunate because, unlike vision, hair cells in the inner ear do not renew after they’ve been gone. While hearing aids act similarly to glasses, they cannot repair the damage. The sooner you detect hearing loss, the better your ears will adjust.
Are you thinking about making an appointment with an audiologist? Here are seven reasons you should get a hearing test:
1. The Tests are Painless
Forget about the “no pain, no gain” mentality for a moment. There is no pain associated with getting your hearing checked. The audiologist examines your ears physically to look for earwax impaction or infection. Then, you’ll be subjected to at least two hearing tests to determine how well you hear sound loudness and sound pitch.
The test will require you to put on headphones and listen for gentle, loud, high, and low tones. Afterward, the audiologist then charts the findings. This process is far from painful and is only done to gauge your quality of hearing.
2. To Catch Hearing Loss Early
One in three adults 65 years old and above suffers from hearing loss. The longer you wait to treat it, the more likely it is that your brain will need more time to recognize how to handle certain sounds. When therapy starts with minimal hearing loss, you adapt to hearing aids more quickly, and your brain will actively absorb numerous sounds.
3. To Establish a Baseline
If you’re over 50 and you haven’t had a hearing test since high school or college, it’s time to schedule an appointment. If your tests demonstrate that you have little to no substantial hearing loss, the audiologist may compare those findings to future tests when hearing aids may be recommended. If there is any hearing loss, they will reach the results of the previous testing.
4. For Health Reasons
Hearing loss may develop for a variety of causes, not simply age. A hearing test might help you safeguard your hearing if you work in a loud setting. Hearing loss may be a sign of several medical disorders, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Besides problems in other parts of your body, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) may indicate loss of hearing. Moreover, a temporary hearing loss may also be caused by ear infections or earwax impactions, which an audiologist can address. Hearing loss may also be one of your prescription drug’s adverse effects.
5. If You Are Constantly Exposed To Loud Noises
Hearing loss due to constant exposure to loud noise is almost as common as presbycusis and affects individuals of all ages. Those frequently exposed to loud noises have a higher risk of suffering permanent damage to their hearing. Here are some conditions where people should have their hearing checked:
- People who work in extremely noisy environments (e.g., construction and manufacturing),
- Regularly participate in loud activities (concerts, hunting, riding motorcycles),
- They are employed in professions where sudden loud noises are usual, such as law enforcement and the military.
6. If You Are 60 Years Old and Beyond
Age-related hearing loss, also called Presbycusis, is quite common as we grow older. Our ability to understand high frequencies gets compromised with cumulative damage to the inner ear’s hair cells. This is common among seniors 60 to 74 years of age. By age 75, two out of three individuals experience presbycusis.
This is why annual routine hearing tests are so important when you age, regardless of whether or not hearing-loss symptoms show.
7. If You’re Managing Your Hearing
It is critical to check your hearing regularly, even if you are already wearing hearing aids. You need to check if it is improving, or if it constantly deteriorates despite supplementing it with hearing aids.
For this reason, your hearing aids must be correctly configured to guarantee you get the most benefit. Generally, patients with hearing issues should get a hearing test at least once a year to ensure their hearing aids are calibrated properly.
Conclusion
Don’t wait years to have your hearing tested. When you experience hearing loss symptoms, your hearing is already significantly damaged. If you face hearing loss, the slightest change could make a big difference. It’s important to know what the changes mean and best address the issue. Early detection of hearing loss and its mitigation via hearing aids could help restore your hearing and return to a more normal life.
Visit the best hearing specialists in Rhode Island to stay on top of your ear health. At Hear More Associates, we provide consultations on ear health and have tools to assist you. Get in contact with us right now to find out more.
