When should you have your hearing tested? Here are four clues that you need to have your hearing tested.
I guess my TV is regularly turned up to the point where my kids recently complained. Do you know what I said to them? I said, “What”? It was a joke. I thought it was amusing. But, in some ways, it was anything but funny. I have needed to turn the TV up increasingly louder lately. And that got me thinking that perhaps it’s time for a hearing assessment.
It really doesn’t make much sense to neglect getting a hearing test. They’re not invasive, there’s no radiation, you don’t have to worry about discomfort. It’s really just that you haven’t put aside time to do it.
Considering how much untreated hearing loss can impact your health, you really should be more diligent about making sure your hearing impairment hasn’t gotten worse.
Hearing evaluations are essential for many reasons. It’s usually hard for you to identify the earliest signs of hearing loss without one, and even slight hearing loss can impact your health.
So when should you get your hearing tested? Here are some signs that it’s time.
You should have your hearing tested if you observe these signs
If you’ve recently experienced any of the signs of hearing loss, it’s probably a smart idea to get a professional hearing exam. Clearly, it’s a strong indication of hearing loss if you’re having a hard time hearing.
But some of the other signs of hearing loss are more subtle:
- You have a hard time hearing when you’re in a loud setting: Have you ever been to a crowded or noisy room and had trouble following the conversation because of all the ambient noise? That may actually be an indication of hearing loss. Being able to isolate sounds is one sign of healthy hearing; this ability tends to diminish as hearing loss advances.
- Persistent ringing in your ears: A common sign of damaged hearing is a ringing in the ears, also called tinnitus. Ringing in the ear may or may not indicate hearing loss. But if the ringing won’t go away, you should definitely come see us for a hearing test.
- It seems like people are mumbling when they talk: Sometimes, it’s clearness not volume you need to be concerned about. One of the earlier indications of hearing loss is difficulty making out conversations. It might be time for a hearing test if you detect this occurring more and more frequently.
- You don’t always hear alerts for text messages: Your phone (or mobile device, as they’re called these days) is made to be loud. So if you’re constantly missing calls or text messages, it might be because you aren’t hearing them. And maybe, when you think about it, you’re missing out on more common sounds.
Here are a few other situations that indicate you should schedule a hearing evaluation:
- You’re experiencing episodes of vertigo
- Your ears are not clearing earwax completely
- Your ear hasn’t cleared after an ear infection
- It’s hard to pinpoint the source of sounds
- You frequently use certain medications that are known to have an effect on your hearing.
This list is certainly not exhaustive. There are other instances of red flags (if, for instance, the volume on your TV is maxed out and you still wish it could go just a little bit louder). But any one of these symptoms is worth looking into.
Routine examinations
But what if, to your awareness, you haven’t experienced any of these potential symptoms of hearing loss? So how frequently should you have your hearing checked? With all of the other guidelines for everything, this one seems like a no-brainer. Well, yes, there are suggestions.
- Get a baseline test done sometime after you’re 21. That way, you’ll have a standard of your mature hearing.
- If your hearing is healthy, undergo hearing examinations or tests every three years or so. That can be a huge chunk of time to pay attention to, so make certain they’re noted in your medical records somewhere.
- If you notice signs of hearing loss, you will want to get it tested right away, and then yearly after that.
Routine examinations can help you identify hearing loss before any warning signs appear. You will have a better chance of maintaining your hearing over time the sooner you get checked. Which means, you should probably turn your TV down and make an appointment for a hearing assessment.