Why is getting routine hearing assessments important? That’s because your general health can be significantly affected 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 exam – who should do it?
A loss in hearing capability can create effects that can seriously hinder your health and well-being. For example, hearing loss can lead to extreme social isolation. Even while undertaking tasks like going to the supermarket, people with hearing loss will tend to avoid reaching out to family and friends because they have a hard time making out conversations. It may not be shocking that this type of social isolation can lead to mental health problems, but it may come as a surprise to learn that it can be harmful to your physical health too.
Hearing loss can trigger other issues as well. Numerous chronic conditions, including depression and dementia, have been linked to untreated hearing loss. Comorbidities, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease have also been linked to hearing loss.
So scheduling a routine hearing test will be a good plan for pretty much everyone.
Four reasons to check your hearing
Getting your hearing tested can be helpful to your general health for four distinct reasons.
1. You can determine the baseline for your healthy hearing
It may seem silly to get your hearing tested while your hearing is still healthy, right? Well, there are several good reasons to take a hearing exam early. The most significant is that a hearing test will give us a detailed 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 develop gradually, the first symptoms are not always obvious.
Getting a baseline hearing exam will help identify problems long before you notice them.
2. Diagnose and treat issues earlier
Hearing loss is typically a gradual condition, meaning it often gets worse over time. As a result, detecting hearing loss early frequently means a better prognosis. This is because you’re capable of treating the condition at the earliest possible juncture.
Early treatment could include anything from taking steps to safeguard your hearing like using ear protection in loud spaces to the use of hearing aids. Treatment can help prevent many of the related issues listed above, such as cognitive decline, depression, and social isolation.
3. Future changes will be easier to measure
Your hearing loss will keep progressing even after you get diagnosed. Regular hearing assessments can facilitate early detection and your treatment plan can be modified as needed.
4. You can prevent further damage to your ears
Most hearing loss is caused by damage, the kind of damage that happens gradually 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 safeguard your ears from day-to-day damage.
What should my hearing test routine look like?
On the earlier side, adults should put off no longer than their early twenties to begin routine hearing exams. It’s usually standard best practice to get a hearing test every ten years thereafter unless you detect signs of hearing loss or we recommend something more often.
But perhaps you’re thinking: what should I expect at my hearing exam? In general, they’re completely non-invasive procedures. Usually, you simply listen for some tones in a special set of headphones.
Whether you require some hearing protection or a new pair of hearing aids, we will be able to help you with the best hearing care. And a hearing exam can help you figure out when the best time to get your care may be.