You know what it’s like to try to ignore a toothache? They can be rather rough. At some point, you end up having no alternative but to see a dentist. And when your eyesight begins to lose focus it’s the same. You’ll probably contact an ophthalmologist when you begin to have trouble reading street signs. The problem is, you might not show quite so much urgency when your hearing begins to go.
This would most likely be an oversight. Neglected hearing loss can be responsible for significant health issues (specifically mental problems). Obviously, you can only neglect your diminishing hearing if you’re actually aware of it. And that’s difficulty number two.
You May Have Hearing Loss if You Notice These Symptoms
We often take our hearing for granted. A loud performance? No worry. Blasting ear pods? You like to listen to your podcasts like this. But every one of those decisions, especially over time, is going to have a substantial affect on your general hearing.
Regrettably, those impacts might be hard to detect. The signs of hearing loss can be nearly invisible because they sneak up so slowly over time. So you should take some time to learn some primary red flags (and to take care of them sooner than later):
- You always have to crank up the volume on your devices
- You experience sudden issues with short term memory
- You can’t keep a set of earbuds because you keep blowing the speakers
- You have an especially difficult time making out consonants when listening to everyday speech
- Voices of those near you (friends, family, co-workers) sounds dull or distorted
- You find yourself asking people around you to repeat what they said frequently
- When you’re in a crowded noisy environment you have a difficult time following conversations
- You feel an inexplicable sense of exhaustion or have significant difficulty falling asleep at night
These signs, red flags, or warnings are all pretty well known. If your loss of hearing comes on especially slowly, your brain will immediately begin to compensate for any hearing loss that develops, making you somewhat unaware, at first, to your symptoms. That’s the reason why any of these warning symptoms should be taken seriously, which means you need to make an appointment to see your hearing specialist.
What Going to Happen if You Neglect Your Hearing Loss?
Indeed, some individuals are very obstinate. Or they simply don’t favor the thought of wearing a hearing aid. They believe that wearing hearing aids makes them look old. But in reality, most modern hearing aids are practically undetectable (and it doesn’t hurt when you can hear and participate in conversations).
Still, if you ignore hearing loss it may lead to several issues:
- Your relationships could diminish: There’s something that occurs when you have a difficult time comprehending your friends and family: you give up speaking with them. You stop calling to say hi, you don’t keep up with what’s going on with them, you withdraw. And that can ruin some of those relationships, particularly if the problem is hearing loss that you have kept secret (and not some unexpressed bitterness).
- You could cause your hearing to get worse: If you don’t utilize hearing aids or enhanced ear protection, You’ll continue to turn up your devices. Or you’ll keep going to rock shows without any earplugs. And your hearing will continue declining as you continue doing harm to your ears.
- You could suffer from depression and cognitive decline: As your relationships falter and going out becomes more difficult, you may begin to experience signs of depression. You may also start to go through some cognitive decline without the auditory stimulation your brain is used to, certain changes begin to take place within your neural physiology. This can bring about long term cognitive problems if your hearing loss isn’t treated.
Hearing Loss Shouldn’t be Neglected
Down the road, clearly, bigger and more significant issues can be caused by hearing loss. But the opposite is true: acknowledging and dealing with your hearing loss can enhance your quality of life considerably. Your every day life is more full and your relationships improve when you start to hear better. And increasing your awareness, either by seeing a hearing specialist or downloading a noise-monitoring app, can enhance your overall hearing health.
You absolutely shouldn’t neglect the health concern of hearing loss. The sooner you find the right treatment, the happier you’ll be. Don’t wait until the proverbial toothache gets too painful to ignore.