When should you have your hearing tested? Here are four signs that you need to have your hearing tested.
The other day, my kids complained about how loud my television was. Do you know what my response was? I said, “What”? It was a joke. I thought it was amusing. But it also wasn’t. I have needed to turn the TV up increasingly louder lately. And that got me thinking that perhaps it’s time for a hearing test.
It really doesn’t make much sense to neglect getting a hearing test. They’re not invasive, there’s no radiation, you don’t need to worry about discomfort. It’s really just that you haven’t put aside time to do it.
You should really be more diligent about staying on top of your hearing because, if left untreated, it can affect your general health.
There are a lot of good reasons why hearing assessments are essential. Even mild hearing loss can have an affect on your health and it’s virtually impossible to identify early hearing loss without a hearing examination.
So when should you have a hearing test? Here are some signs that it’s time.
You should have your hearing tested if you experience these signs
It’s time to get a professional hearing test if you’ve been noticing signs of hearing loss recently. Clearly, it’s a strong indication of hearing loss if you’re having a hard time hearing.
But some of the other indications of hearing loss are more subtle:
- You’re always missing text messages: Your cellphone (or mobile device, as they’re called now) is designed to be loud. So if you’re constantly missing calls or text messages, it might be because you aren’t hearing them. And if you’re unable to hear your mobile device, what else might you be missing?
- Ringing that won’t clear itself up: A common sign of injured hearing is a ringing in the ears, also called tinnitus. Ringing in the ear might or might not point to hearing loss. But if the ringing won’t stop, you should definitely come see us for a hearing test.
- You have a difficult time hearing when you’re in a loud environment: Have you ever had a difficult time following along with conversations because of ambient noise in a busy room? If this seems familiar you could be experiencing hearing loss. As your hearing goes from healthy to impaired, one of the first signs is the loss of the ability to identify distinct sounds.
- It sounds like everyone’s mumbling all the time: Sometimes, it’s clarity not volume you need to be concerned about. Difficulty making out conversations is one of the first signs that something is going wrong with your hearing. If you experience this happening more often, you might want to schedule a hearing test.
This list is not exhaustive, here are a few more:
- Your ears aren’t removing earwax thoroughly
- You take specific medications that can harm your hearing
- You can’t easily determine where particular sounds are coming from
- You have an ear infection and it won’t go away
- You’re experiencing episodes of vertigo
This list is in no way exhaustive. There are other examples of red flags (if, for example, the volume on your TV is maxed out and you still wish it could go just a little louder). But any one of these signs is worth looking into.
Regular checkups
But what if, to your knowledge, you haven’t experienced any of these potential symptoms of hearing impairment? Is there a guideline for how often you should schedule a hearing exam? There’s a guideline for everything, right, so there’s got to be a guideline for this. There are, in fact, some suggestions.
- Get a baseline assessment done sometime after you’re 21. That way, you’ll have a baseline of your mature hearing.
- Every three years or so will be a practical schedule if your hearing appears healthy. But be sure you mark these appointments in your calendar or medical records because it’s easy to forget over these huge periods of time.
- If you show signs of hearing loss, you will want to have it checked right away, and then annually after that.
It will be easier to identify any hearing loss before any warning signs become apparent with regular examinations. The earlier you seek treatment, the better you’ll be able to protect your hearing into the future. So it’s time to pick up the phone and make an appointment for a hearing test.