How often should someone check your hearing? A lot of us have thought about this at some point. An important part of your overall health exam is a hearing test. Hearing loss can make people feel alone and sad, lowering their quality of life. If you don’t deal with hearing problems, you might lose some of your hearing and have a harder time getting used to hearing aids. In the long run, this could cause problems at home and work and make it harder to keep in communication with your family and friends.
Signs You Need a Hearing Test
You might not know what a healthy ear should hear, which makes it hard to tell if someone has trouble hearing. If you possess any of these indications, you might want to get your hearing checked on a hearing centre.
You turn up the volume on the stereo or TV.
This one is easy to notice because it will be clear if you’ve turned up the volume on your devices. If this doesn’t happen very often, it could be because the broadcast isn’t as strong. But if you have to increase the volume daily, it could be a sign that something is wrong with your ears. You need to see a doctor, even if it is just a wax buildup that may require professional ear wax removal in Halifax.
Difficulty understanding speech.
Sometimes you have to just ask someone to say it again. On the other hand, if you do this often, especially if you ask more than one person, it could be a sign that your hearing is getting worse. When there is a lot of noise in the background, it’s hard to understand what people are saying. There are also problems with consonants.
Using your neck or body to hear.
If you have to turn your head or move your body to hear things, you may have hearing loss in one ear. Cupping one’s ear to block out outside sounds is also strange. Both of these steps might help shortly. But if the damage keeps getting worse, there may come a time when treatment is no longer helpful.
Unanswered phone calls, doorbells, or alarms.
When you have hearing loss, you might not be able to hear certain pitches and tones. Problems like missed phone calls, guests at home, and things like car alarms happen often. If any of these problems keep happening, it’s probably because of hearing loss. Also, if you can’t hear birdsong or other sounds of nature when you go for walks, it could be because of an ear problem.
Conversations drain your energy.
During talks, many patients would strain to hear what was being said, but they didn’t realize it. Some ways to do this are to lean in closer, stop paying attention to the noise around you, and read their lips. Hearing loss is just one of many things that can happen when you’re tired. An audiologist can test for hearing problems and find a way to fix them. So, if you’re tired and have other symptoms, it’s best to make an appointment.
Conclusion
A hearing test shouldn’t be a scary thing to go through. Even though it can be upsetting to find out you’ve had hearing loss for a long time, it’s better to deal with it now than to have an accident because of it later. A licensed audiologist will give you a professional hearing test and ensure you have all the information and help you need to understand your condition and the level of hearing loss.