Sometimes, it’s easy to know when you require medical help. You know you need to go to the doctor immediately if you break a bone, for example. You might need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the thing is that you’re not likely to try “toughing it out”. If you want your bones to mend correctly, you need to get them treated as soon as possible.
But in terms of hearing aids, it’s not always so simple to know when it’s time to get some assistance. Hearing loss is usually a progressive condition. This means it’s not always simple to know when you might need to start using hearing aids or to put off finding treatment you know could be helpful.
That’s why it’s a good plan to watch out for some distinct indicators that you may be losing your ability to communicate. It’s probably time to call us for a consultation if you do detect any.
Hearing loss and hearing aids
Hearing aids are the primary method of treatment for hearing loss. But that doesn’t mean everybody who has hearing loss will instantly need a set of hearing aids. In situations where patients have very mild hearing loss, hearing aids won’t always be helpful. We might want you to hold off on using hearing aids because of this. Likewise, you may be advised to wear hearing aids only in particular situations.
This means that just because you are diagnosed with hearing loss doesn’t mean you will automatically require hearing aids.
But in many situations hearing aids will be the best solution. Because hearing loss can be a sneaky and gradual condition, lots of people don’t receive a diagnosis until there’s been substantial damage. But if you come in to see us regularly, you might be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, as a result, you might not need hearing aids right away.
So how will you know if you have hearing loss?
Indications you need a hearing aid
Immediate communication problems can be the consequence of hearing loss. But a lot of times you don’t even recognize that hearing loss is the reason for those communication issues. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Here are some of the typical signs you should watch out for:
- You can’t understand people on the phone: Even the highest quality phone speakers tend to flatten a voice. If you have hearing loss, this can make it even harder to understand conversations. Again, specific frequencies are cut out and the result is that it’s really hard to hear those voices.
- You have a difficult time hearing conversations in loud places: This is probably one of the most common symptoms of hearing loss. One of the surest signs of hearing loss is that you have trouble following conversations in loud locations, like bars or restaurants. This occurs because your ears are not receiving as much information as they used to, and your brain isn’t really able to fill in the gaps as easily. A lot of conversations get muffled because of this.
- The volume on your devices is becoming really loud: Hearing loss could be the culprit if you continually need to crank the volume of your devices up. If you find individuals around you complaining about the loud volume of your devices, this is particularly true.
- When people speak, you can’t always understand what they said: Many people don’t think they have hearing loss or need hearing aids because the overall volume they perceive seems fine. But the thing about hearing loss is that particular frequencies of sound tend to go before others. Which means that the vast majority of sounds could seem ordinary but things in the high frequencies (like certain vowels) will be distorted. This could cause you to have a tough time understanding what people are saying.
So what can you do?
When you break a bone, it’s obvious what to do: you go see the doctor! But what about when you detect these signs that you may need a hearing aid? How severe does hearing loss need to be to require a hearing aid? Well, that’s difficult to answer, but when you begin experiencing these signs, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with us. We will be able to inform you about how serious your hearing loss is.
A hearing test will also help you get the most effective hearing aids for your requirements if you do indeed need hearing aids. This means you’ll be able to get back to spending quality time with your friends and loved ones, you’ll understand your grandkids when they call you on the phone, your co-workers at your morning meeting, and your friends at the pub.
Contact us to schedule your hearing exam, we can help you recognize if you’re suffering from hearing loss.