Knowing when you require some medical advice is typically fairly easy. You know you need to go see a doctor immediately if you break a bone, for instance. With situations like this, simply “toughing it out” isn’t a possibility. If you want your bones to heal properly, you need to get them treated as soon as you can.
It isn’t always that clear cut with regard to hearing aids, though. Hearing loss is typically a developing condition. This means it isn’t always easy to know when you might need to begin using hearing aids or to put off finding treatment you know could be helpful.
That’s why it’s a good idea to watch out for some specific signposts that you may be losing your ability to communicate. It’s probably time to call us for a consultation if you do notice any.
Hearing loss and hearing aids
Hearing loss is mainly treated with hearing aids. But that doesn’t mean everybody who has hearing loss will instantly need a pair of hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be beneficial in cases of mild hearing loss. We may want you to hold off on using hearing aids as a result. It’s also feasible that we could direct you to only use your hearing aids when you’re in certain situations.
In other words, the threshold for needing hearing aids isn’t always a diagnosis of hearing loss.
But in many situations hearing aids will be the best answer. Many individuals won’t get their hearing loss diagnosed until it becomes more serious because hearing loss progresses slowly and frequently goes undetected for a while. But if you come in for a hearing exam regularly, you might be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, because of this, you may not need hearing aids right away.
And if that’s the situation, you’re probably thinking: how can I tell if I need hearing aids?
Indications you need a hearing aid
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can cause instant communication difficulties. But lots of times you don’t even recognize that hearing loss is the cause of those communication problems. So, when is it time for a hearing aid?
Watch out for these indicators:
- Phone conversations sound muddled: Even the best phone speakers tend to flatten a voice. That can make it difficult to understand, particularly if you have hearing loss. Once again, specific frequencies are cut out and the result is that it’s very difficult to hear those voices.
- When people speak, you can’t always make out what they said: Many people feel like the overall volume of life is fine so they never consider that they might have hearing loss. But hearing loss is funny, it tends to affect certain frequencies before others. Due to this, things like vowel sounds in the higher pitches can sound distorted. This could cause you to have a tough time making out what people are saying.
- The volume on your devices is getting really loud: If you’re continuously turning the volume up on your television or radio or smartphone, it may be due to hearing loss. If you find people around you complaining about the high volume of your devices, this is especially relevant.
- When you’re in very loud locations, you have a hard time following conversations: This is probably one of the most prevalent symptoms of hearing loss. If you have difficulty hearing conversations in noisy places, that’s often a sure sign that you have hearing loss. That’s because your brain has difficulty filling in the missing information that you lose when you have hearing impairment. A lot of conversations get muffled because of this.
So what should you do?
When you break your leg, it’s clear cut what to do: you go see the doctor! But what do you do when you start to experience the symptoms of hearing loss? What degree of hearing loss calls for hearing aids? That’s not a really easy answer but you should schedule an appointment with us for a hearing assessment if you begin to detect any hearing loss symptoms. We will be able to let you know how serious your hearing loss is.
A hearing evaluation will also help you get the best possible hearing aids for your needs 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 happy hour.
Call us for a hearing test so we can help you improve your quality of life.