Why is having routine hearing assessments significant? That’s because your overall health can be considerably impacted by hearing loss. Getting your hearing examined regularly can help you identify hearing loss early, get care quicker, and, improve your health, wellness, and quality of life.
Who should get a hearing exam?
Your health and well-being can be seriously affected by untreated hearing loss. For instance, hearing loss can lead to intense social isolation. Even while doing tasks like going to the store, people with hearing loss will tend to avoid reaching out to friends and family because they have a hard time making out conversations. This sort of social isolation can be detrimental to your mental health and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, your physical wellness.
Other health problems can be the result of untreated hearing loss also. For instance, untreated hearing loss has been associated with many chronic conditions, including dementia and depression. Comorbidities, like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease have also been associated with hearing loss.
So scheduling a routine hearing test will be a good strategy for pretty much everyone.
Four reasons to monitor your hearing
Getting your hearing examined can be helpful to your general health for four distinct reasons.
1. You can discover the baseline for your healthy hearing
Why would you want to have your hearing tested if it seems healthy? Well, getting a hearing exam early is a good idea for a number of reasons. The most significant is that a hearing test will give us a precise picture of your current hearing health. If your hearing changes in the future, this will make it easier to identify. Early symptoms of hearing loss frequently go unnoticed because hearing loss often progresses gradually over time.
Before you observe any symptoms, a hearing test will help detect hearing loss in its early stages.
2. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential
Hearing loss is normally a gradual condition, meaning it often gets worse over time. You’ll have a better prognosis, as a result, if you catch your hearing loss early. If you treat the condition as early as you can, you will have more positive outcomes.
Early treatment may include anything from taking steps to protect your hearing like wearing ear protection in noisy settings to using hearing aids. Treatment can help you avoid many of the related problems listed above, including dementia, depression, and social isolation.
3. It’s easier to assess future changes
Even if you’re diagnosed with hearing loss, that doesn’t mean your hearing will remain static for the rest of your life. Regular hearing tests can facilitate early detection and your treatment plan can be adjusted as needed.
4. You can avoid further damage to your ears
The majority of hearing loss is caused by damage, the type of damage that occurs slowly and over time. Your hearing specialist is a significant resource and visiting us regularly will help you identify any hearing loss as early as possible. We can help you keep your hearing as healthy as possible by providing you with treatments, best practices, and information.
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 assessed?
Generally speaking, it’s suggested that adults get a hearing exam sometime in their 20s or 30s, on the earlier side. Unless we recommend more frequent visits or if you notice any hearing problems, at least every ten years will be the advised interval for hearing assessments.
But maybe you’re thinking: what should I expect at my hearing exam? Generally, they’re entirely non-invasive procedures. Frequently, all you do is wear special headphones and listen for a particular sound.
We will be able to help you get the care you need, whether you need a pair of hearing aids or you just need to protect your ears. And a hearing exam can help you determine when the best time to get your care might be.