Knowing when you need some medical advice is normally fairly easy. You know you need to go see a doctor right away if you break your leg, for instance. You might need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the point is that you’re not likely to try “toughing it out”. If you want your bones to heal properly, you need to get them taken care of as soon as possible.
But when it comes to hearing aids, it’s not always so simple to recognize when it’s time to get some assistance. Hearing loss typically advances really slowly over time. This means knowing 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 probably time to call us for a consultation if you do notice any.
Hearing aids and hearing loss
Hearing aids are the primary form of treatment for hearing loss. But everyone who has some degree of hearing loss won’t automatically need hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be practical in cases of mild hearing loss. Because of this, we may want you to wait before starting to use them. It’s also possible that we could instruct you to only use your hearing aids when you’re in particular situations.
This means that just because you are diagnosed with hearing loss doesn’t mean you will automatically require hearing aids.
However, hearing aids will be the ideal option in many cases. Many people won’t get their hearing loss diagnosed until it becomes more severe because hearing loss advances gradually and frequently goes unnoticed for a while. But if you come in for a hearing exam regularly, you might be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, as a result, you may not require hearing aids immediately.
And if that’s the case, you’re most likely thinking: how can I tell if I require hearing aids?
Indications you need a hearing aid
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can cause immediate communication difficulties. The curious thing, though, is that you don’t always understand that those communication challenges are caused by hearing loss. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Here are some of the common signs you should watch out for:
- You have trouble making out what people are saying: Many individuals don’t think they have hearing loss or need hearing aids because the overall volume they perceive seems fine. But the thing about hearing loss is that specific frequencies of sound usually go before others. Because of this, things like vowel sounds in the higher register can sound distorted. This could cause you to have a hard time understanding what people are saying.
- Phone conversations sound muddled: Even the best phone speakers tend to flatten a voice. If you have hearing loss, this can make it even more challenging to understand conversations. It can be very challenging to hear voices as an outcome of the loss of these frequencies.
- When you’re in noisy locations, you have a difficult time following conversations: This is probably one of the most common symptoms of hearing loss. If you have trouble hearing conversations in loud places, that’s usually a sure sign that you have hearing loss. This occurs 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 as easily. As a result, there’s a lot of muffled conversations.
- The volume on your devices is becoming very loud: Hearing loss could be the cause if you continually need to turn the volume of your devices up. If you find individuals around you complaining about the loud volume of your devices, this is especially true.
So how should you deal with it?
When you break your leg, it’s clear cut what to do: you go to the doctor! But what about when you experience these signs that you may need a hearing aid? What level of hearing loss calls for hearing aids? That’s not a really easy answer but you should make an appointment with us for a hearing assessment if you begin to experience any hearing loss symptoms. We will be able to inform you about how severe your hearing loss is.
A hearing screening will also help you get the most effective hearing aids for your requirements if you do indeed need hearing aids. This means you’ll be able to get back to communicating with your friends and loved ones, you’ll understand your grandkids when they give you a call, your co-workers at your morning meeting, and your friends at happy hour.
Call us for a hearing test so we can help you improve your quality of life.