Why is having routine hearing tests essential? Well, the fact is that hearing loss can have considerable and long-term effects on your overall wellness. Having your hearing assessed regularly can help you detect hearing loss early, get care sooner, and, improve your health, well-being, and quality of life.
Getting a hearing test – who should do it?
Your health and well-being can be significantly impacted by untreated hearing loss. Social isolation, for example, can be a consequence of neglected hearing loss. Even while carrying out tasks like going to the store, people with hearing loss will tend to avoid reaching out to family and friends because they have a difficult time understanding conversations. This type of social isolation can be harmful to your mental health and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, your physical well-being.
Other health concerns can come from neglected hearing loss also. Numerous chronic conditions, including depression and cognitive decline, have been associated with untreated hearing loss. Comorbidities, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease have also been linked to hearing loss.
So scheduling a routine hearing assessment will be a good plan for pretty much everybody.
You should get your hearing tested for these four reasons
There are four noteworthy reasons why checking your hearing can be worthwhile to your overall health.
1. You can discover the baseline for your healthy hearing
Why would you want to get your hearing checked if it seems healthy? Well, getting a hearing test early is a good idea for a number of reasons. Your current level of hearing can be determined by a hearing exam and that’s probably the most significant thing. This will make it far easier to detect any changes in the future. This is particularly true because hearing loss tends to advance gradually, the first symptoms are not always obvious.
Getting a baseline hearing test will help identify problems well before you notice them.
2. Diagnose and treat problems earlier
Hearing loss is normally a gradual condition, meaning it often gets worse over time. Consequently, identifying hearing loss early often means a better prognosis. If you treat the condition as early as possible, you will have more positive results.
When you get treatment early it will mean doing things like using ear protection or possibly wearing hearing aids. Treatment can help prevent many of the associated issues listed above, such as cognitive decline, depression, and social isolation.
3. Future changes will be easier to evaluate
Your hearing loss will continue to progress even after you get diagnosed. Regular hearing exams can help you identify changes as you go along, and make changes to your treatment plan as needed.
4. You can prevent further damage to your ears
Hearing loss that progresses gradually over time is normally caused by damage. Seeing us regularly to get your hearing checked helps you detect that damage as early as possible, and it also gives you access to a substantial resource: your hearing specialist. We can provide you with information, treatments, and best practices that can help keep your hearing as healthy as possible.
We can help you determine ways to keep sounds around you quieter and also help you protect your ears from day-to-day damage.
How often should I have my hearing examined?
Generally speaking, it’s suggested that adults undergo a hearing exam sometime in their 20s or 30s, on the earlier side. It’s normally standard best practice to get a hearing exam every ten years thereafter unless you observe signs of hearing loss or we suggest something more frequently.
But maybe you’re thinking: what should I expect at my hearing exam? Hearing exams are usually completely non-invasive. Typically, you simply listen for some tones in a special pair of headphones.
We will be able to help you get the treatment you require, whether you need a set of hearing aids or you simply need to safeguard your ears. And we can help you figure out what your hearing test schedule should be.
