Sometimes, it’s easy to know when you require medical advice. When you break a bone, for instance, you know you should go to the doctor (or the emergency room, depending on the scenario). With situations like this, simply “toughing it out” isn’t a possibility. At least, not for that long (especially if you want your bones to mend themselves correctly).
But in terms of hearing aids, it’s not always so easy to know when it’s time to get some assistance. Hearing loss typically progresses very slowly over time. This means recognizing when to get treatment for hearing loss can be tricky.
That’s why it’s a good plan to keep an eye out for some specific signposts that you may be losing your ability to communicate. It’s likely time to call us for a consultation if you do detect any.
Hearing aids and hearing loss
Hearing aids are the primary form of treatment for hearing loss. But that doesn’t mean everybody who has hearing loss will immediately need a set of hearing aids. In cases where patients have very slight hearing loss, hearing aids won’t always be beneficial. We might want you to hold off on using hearing aids as a result. It’s also possible that we could direct you to only use your hearing aids when you’re in certain situations.
This means that just because you’re diagnosed with hearing loss doesn’t mean you will necessarily require hearing aids.
However, hearing aids will be the ideal option in many instances. Because hearing loss can be a sneaky and slow condition, many individuals don’t receive a diagnosis until there’s been significant damage. But if you come in for a hearing exam regularly, you might be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, because of this, you might not require hearing aids immediately.
So how will you know if you have hearing loss?
Indications you need a hearing aid
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can create immediate communication obstacles. The funny thing, though, is that you don’t always understand that those communication issues are the result of hearing loss. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Here are some of the typical signs you should look out for:
- The volume on your devices is becoming really loud: Hearing loss could be the cause if you continuously need to turn the volume of your devices up. If you find people around you complaining about the high volume of your devices, this is particularly true.
- You can’t understand people on the phone: Even the best phone speakers have a habit of flattening a voice. That can make it hard to understand, especially if you have hearing loss. Once again, particular frequencies are cut out and the outcome is that it’s extremely difficult to hear those voices.
- When you’re in noisy settings, you have a tough time following conversations: This is probably one of the most prevalent symptoms of hearing loss. If you have difficulty hearing conversations in loud places, that’s often a sure sign that you have hearing loss. This happens because your ears are not receiving as much information as they used to, and your brain isn’t really capable of filling in the gaps very easily. A lot of conversations get muddled because of this.
- You have difficulty understanding what people are saying: Many people don’t think they have hearing loss or need hearing aids because the total volume they perceive seems fine. But hearing loss is funny, it tends to affect certain frequencies before others. Due to this, things like vowel sounds in the higher pitches can sound distorted. As a result, you might have a tough time understanding what people are saying to you.
So what can you do?
Clearly, you know exactly what you need to do when you break a bone! But what about when you experience these signs that you may need a hearing aid? How severe does hearing loss need to be to call for a hearing aid? Well, that’s difficult to answer, but when you begin detecting these symptoms, it’s a good plan to make an appointment with us. We will be able to let you know how severe your hearing loss is.
And if you do wind up needing hearing aids, a hearing test will help identify the best device for your hearing needs. Then you will be able to get back to taking pleasure in good conversations with your friends and loved ones and doing the things you love.
Contact us to schedule your hearing test, we can help you understand if you’re suffering from hearing loss.