Signs that You Should Get Your Hearing Health Assessed

When was the last time you had your eyesight checked? For most of us, the answer is “within the past year.” Or perhaps even, “I am due one actually, I should get to booking that!”

An eye test is something that many of us routinely carry out on a yearly basis. Similarly, we will often have annual physical exams. After all, we want to make sure that our eyes and body are in good working order, right? 

So why is it that so many of us don’t get our hearing checked once a year? 

A hearing assessment isn’t painful. They’re not invasive, and they involve no radiation. For many of us, a hearing assessment simply isn’t at the top of our annual health checks. We just often don’t make the time. 

However, the sooner your hearing specialist identifies hearing loss, the better. Treating a hearing loss can greatly improve your quality of life. Despite this, on average it takes 7 years before people seek help for their hearing. 

5 Signs You Need Your Hearing Health Assessed

A Consumer Report survey found that almost 30% of participants said “they’ve gone for more than a decade without getting their hearing checked or have never had it assessed at all.”

The difficulty with hearing loss, is that people may not even realize they are having difficulty hearing. A new study published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery found that adults were underestimating the level of their hearing loss. Up to 42% of participants who reported no difficulty hearing actually had mild hearing loss when assessed. 

Although you may believe that your hearing is fine, you may in fact be experiencing hearing loss. Here are 5 signs that you need your hearing health assessed:

1. It sounds like people around you are mumbling. Do you ever feel like everyone around you is mumbling? Difficulty understanding speech is often one of the earlier signs of hearing loss. 
2. Your TV is getting louder and louder. Have you had friends or family remark how loud your TV is? Or perhaps your radio volume has been steadily increasing. If friends or family have commented on the volume, you may be having difficulty hearing. 
3. You ask people to repeat themselves frequently. Do you feel like you’re always asking people to repeat themselves? This could be a sign of hearing loss. 
4. You struggle to hear in noisy environments. Crowded, noisy rooms can make hearing difficult at the best of times. Background noise in crowded environments can make listening and hearing very challenging. If you struggle to understand and follow conversations in a crowded, noisy room, you may be experiencing hearing loss. 
5. Ringing in your ears. Do your ears ring? Perhaps you have a continual buzzing or hissing sound that just won’t quit. Tinnitus is a common side effect of hearing loss. If you are experiencing ongoing symptoms of tinnitus, it’s time to get your hearing assessed. 

Benefits of Treating A Hearing Loss

Even if you haven’t experienced the 5 signs above, it’s worth booking in an annual hearing assessment. The benefits to treating a hearing loss make it worth it. Here are just a few benefits: 

1. Look after your physical health. Your hearing may actually be an indicator of underlying health conditions. High blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are just a few conditions that have been linked to hearing loss. 
2. Protect your brain. Studies are showing the links between our hearing ability and our cognitive ability. Hearing loss, particularly when left untreated, may increase the risks of dementia. 
3. Help your mental health. Untreated hearing loss can have an impact on our quality of lives. It can lead to social isolation, and in some cases anxiety and depression. 
4. Improved communication. Treating your hearing loss will allow you to hear better. But it will also improve your communication. It’s easy to forget that hearing loss can affect both participants in a conversation! 

Make an Appointment & Get Your Hearing Health Assessed

The hearing care professionals at Regional Hearing and Balance would be happy to offer you a hearing assessment. Please call us at 208-497-3596 or click here to request an appointment now.