Why is it important to get your hearing assessed on a regular basis? That’s because your general health can be substantially impacted by hearing loss. Your quality of life will be improved, your health will be improved, and you will get proper treatment sooner if you get tested regularly.
Getting a hearing test – who should do it?
Your health and well-being can be seriously 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 supermarket, people with hearing loss will tend to avoid reaching out to friends and family because they have a difficult time making out conversations. It may not be shocking that this type of social isolation can result in mental health problems, but it might come as a surprise to find out that it can be detrimental to your physical health too.
Hearing loss can cause other problems as well. Numerous chronic conditions, including depression and dementia, have been associated with neglected hearing loss. It’s also been linked to a number of comorbidities, including diabetes, heart conditions, and high blood pressure.
So scheduling a routine hearing assessment will be a good plan for pretty much everybody.
Four reasons to monitor your hearing
Getting your hearing examined can be helpful to your overall health for four specific reasons.
1. You can identify the baseline for your healthy hearing
It may seem silly to take a hearing test while your hearing is still healthy, right? Well, there are a number of good reasons to take a hearing test early. The most important is that a hearing exam will give us an accurate picture of your current hearing health. This will make it far easier to detect any changes in the future. This is particularly true because hearing loss tends to advance slowly, the first symptoms are not always noticeable.
Before you observe any symptoms, a hearing exam will help detect hearing loss in its early stages.
2. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential
Hearing loss is normally a progressive condition, meaning it tends to get worse over time. Consequently, detecting hearing loss early often means a better prognosis. This is because you’re able to treat the condition at the earliest possible time.
Early treatment might include anything from taking measures to protect your hearing such as using ear protection in loud spaces to using hearing aids. Treatment can help prevent many of the associated problems listed above, including cognitive decline, depression, and social isolation.
3. It’s easier to measure future changes
Even if you are diagnosed with hearing loss, that doesn’t mean your hearing won’t continue to get worse as you get older. Regular hearing tests can help you identify changes as you go along, and make adjustments to your treatment plan as needed.
4. Additional damage can be prevented
The majority of hearing loss is caused by damage, the kind of damage that occurs gradually and over time. Your hearing specialist is a considerable resource and visiting us regularly will help you identify any hearing loss as early as possible. We can give you information, treatments, and best practices that can help keep your hearing as healthy as possible.
For example, we can help you identify ways to protect your ears from day-to-day damage or establish strategies designed to help you keep sounds around you quieter.
How frequently should I have my hearing tested?
In general, it’s suggested that adults undergo a hearing test sometime in their 20s or 30s, on the earlier side. It’s normally ordinary best practice to get a hearing test every ten years thereafter unless you detect signs of hearing loss or we suggest something more often.
What should I expect my hearing exam to be like? Hearing tests are usually totally non-invasive. Typically, you simply listen for some tones in a special set of headphones.
We will be able to help you get the treatment you need, whether you need a set of hearing aids or you just need to protect your ears. And a hearing exam can help you figure out when the best time to get your care might be.