You aren’t really sure why, but you’ve been feeling moody lately. Well, you did feel left out earlier this morning when no one took the time to pull you into the meeting discussion at the office and that was annoying. Last night your daughter seemed annoyed with you when you asked her to turn up the volume of the TV over and over again resulting in her abruptly leaving the house. Why would she do that?
Did you ever stop to think that maybe you could be suffering from hearing loss?
Hearing loss is an issue for roughly 40 million individuals in the US and can sneak up on you with age. And, the problem doesn’t end at your ears, either. Even slight hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory loss, and even cognitive decline, according to some research. You might have a manageable medical condition causing your hearing loss but you think it’s simply an indication of aging. Perhaps, your co-workers didn’t exclude you from the conversation after all, maybe you missed critical conversational queues because you didn’t hear them. Honestly, it can be very frustrating when you can’t hear during your day-to-day life.
Get the facts about hearing loss
A good place to start is finding out more about what you’re coping with. For many people, hearing loss is a normal side effect of getting older. But for others, it might be due to years of noise overexposure. Everything from the music you listened to when you were a teenager, to driving with the window down in traffic, to mowing lawns and cleaning up leaves with that noisy leaf blower could contribute to a loss of hearing. The world is full of potentially ear-damaging sound that can deteriorate the delicate mechanisms that help you hear.
Long-term diseases that become more prevalent as we age are a potential factor as well. High blood pressure, for example, or diabetes can both interfere with blood flow, which can cause damage to the inner ear.
Recognize the signs
People typically don’t detect when their hearing starts to go because hearing is often taken for granted:
- Finding it difficult to comprehend words when there is background noise like a fan or the AC
- You regularly say “what” and often need people to repeat themselves
- You always feel like you are being left out of the conversations
Obviously, you’d be grumpy if you’ve been dealing with any of these symptoms! Depression and social solitude can be the result of feeling detached from your world.
Create a plan to treat hearing loss
One of the initial things you can do is ask friends and family members if they have seen you having a hard time hearing. It’s a crucial conversation even if it’s a challenging one. If if they answer ‘yes’ then scheduling a hearing assessment should be your next move and will simplify things for you. Try to get a family member to go along with you to your appointment. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive friend with you.
Your hearing exam will both gauge whether you’re dealing with hearing loss and how extensive it has become. Depending on the results of your test, we will be able to specify your best course of action going forward. Normally, hearing aids will be a major part of the treatment plan. You’ll definitely be able to get a pair of hearing aids that will best fit your situation since there are so many styles and options to pick from.
Picking out quality hearing aids
We’ll have suggestions that will be best suited for your individual type of hearing loss. Take some to time choose the right brand and model for your needs, this could require testing a few styles and models. Today’s hearing aids do so much more than just amplify sound. They can block out background sounds, link to smartphones and computers, and even determine the direction of a sound. Do some research to find out which brands and models have the features that will best fit your lifestyle and needs.
And, don’t forget to think about styles. They come in many fashionable colors or with no color at all, so they are practically invisible.
If you think you’re dealing with hearing loss, make an appointment with our qualified hearing specialists today. Don’t you think it’s time to find out and end your cranky state of mind?
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/