When is it time to have your hearing checked? You need a hearing exam if you have any of these four warning signs.
I guess my TV is frequently cranked up to the point where my kids recently complained. And guess what my reply was. I said, “What”? It was humorous. Because it was a joke. But, in reality, it was anything but funny. I have needed to turn the TV up louder and louder as of late. And that got me thinking that perhaps it’s time for a hearing assessment.
It really doesn’t make much sense to neglect getting a hearing test. They’re not invasive, there’s no radiation, you don’t have to worry about discomfort. It’s really just that you haven’t made time for it.
You should really be more vigilant about staying on top of your hearing because, if left untreated, it can impact your general health.
Hearing evaluations are essential for many reasons. It’s often hard for you to observe the earliest signs of hearing loss without one, and even mild hearing loss can impact your health.
So when should you have a hearing test? Here are several ways to tell if you need to come see us.
Signs you should have your hearing tested
It’s time to get a professional hearing assessment if you’ve been experiencing symptoms of hearing loss recently. Naturally, if things are difficult to hear, that’s a pretty strong indication of hearing loss.
But some of the other indications of hearing loss are more subtle:
- Chronic ringing in your ears: Ringing in your ears, which goes by the name of tinnitus, is typically a sign of hearing damage. Ringing in the ear might or might not indicate hearing loss. But it’s definitely an indication that you should schedule a hearing exam.
- You don’t always hear alerts for text messages: Your phone (or mobile device, as they’re called now) is designed to be loud. So if you’re continuously missing calls or text messages, it might be because you aren’t hearing them. And if you’re unable to hear your mobile device, what else might you be missing?
- You have a hard time hearing when you’re in a loud setting: Have you ever been to a crowded or loud space and had difficulty following the conversation because of all the background noise? If this sounds familiar you could be experiencing hearing loss. As your hearing goes from healthy to impaired, one of the first signs is the loss of the ability to identify specific sounds.
- It seems like people are mumbling when they speak: Sometimes, it’s clearness not volume you have to worry about. Difficulty following along with conversations is one of the first signs that something is going wrong with your hearing. If you experience this happening more and more, you might want to schedule a hearing test.
Here are some other situations that indicate you should make an appointment for a hearing exam:
- You have vertigo
- You take specific medications that can damage your hearing
- You have a buildup of ear wax you’re body can’t clear on your own
- You have an ear infection and it won’t go away
- It’s hard to determine the origin of sounds
This checklist is certainly not exhaustive. For example, if your TV’s volume is maxed and you still can’t hear it. It would be a smart idea to look into any of these symptoms.
Regular checkups
But what if, to your knowledge, you haven’t experienced any of these possible symptoms of hearing impairment? So how often should you have your hearing tested? With all of the other guidelines for everything else, this one seems like a no-brainer. There are, actually, some recommendations.
- Sometime after you turn 21, you need to have a hearing assessment. Then your mature hearing will have a standard.
- Every three years or so will be a good schedule if your hearing appears healthy. That can be a huge chunk of time to pay attention to, so make certain they’re marked in your medical records somewhere.
- You’ll want to get checked immediately if you detect any signs of hearing loss and after that once every year.
It will be easier to discover any hearing loss before any warning signs become obvious with routine examinations. You will have a better chance of maintaining your hearing over time the sooner you get tested. Which means, you should probably turn your TV down and make an appointment for a hearing test.