When should you get a hearing test? Here are four signs that you need to have your hearing checked.
Recently, my kids complained about how loud my TV was. And guess what my reply was. I said, “What”? It was humorous. Because it was a joke. But, in some ways, it was anything but funny. The TV has been getting progressively louder. And that got me thinking that maybe it’s time for a hearing test.
There aren’t really that many excuses not to make an appointment for a hearing test. They aren’t invasive, there’s no radiation, you don’t need 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 worsened.
There are lots of good reasons why hearing evaluations are essential. It’s often hard for you to identify the earliest indications of hearing loss without one, and even slight hearing loss can affect your health.
So how will you know if you should schedule an appointment? Here are some indications that it’s time.
Signs you should get a hearing test
It’s time to get a professional hearing test if you’ve been experiencing signs of hearing loss recently. 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:
- It sounds like everyone’s always mumbling: Sometimes, it’s clearness not volume you have to worry about. One of the first signs of hearing loss is difficulty making out conversations. It may be time for a hearing assessment if you notice this occurring more and more often.
- You have a hard time hearing when you’re in a loud setting: Have you ever had a hard time following along with conversations because of ambient noise in a busy room? That could actually be a sign of hearing loss. As your hearing goes from healthy to impaired, one of the first warning signs is the loss of the ability to identify distinct sounds.
- You’re always missing text messages: Mobile devices are made to be loud enough for you to hear. So if you’re constantly missing calls or text messages, it might be because you aren’t hearing them. And if you can’t hear your mobile device, what else might you be missing?
- Chronic ringing in your ears: A typical sign of injured hearing is a ringing in the ears, also called tinnitus. Ringing in the ear might or might not point to hearing loss. But if the ringing won’t clear itself up, you should definitely come see us for a hearing assessment.
Here are a few other situations that indicate you should make an appointment for a hearing exam:
- You regularly use certain medications that are recognized to have an effect on your hearing.
- you’re experiencing an ear infection and it won’t go away
- You can’t readily identify where specific sounds are coming from
- You’re experiencing episodes of vertigo
- Your ears aren’t removing earwax thoroughly
This checklist, clearly, isn’t complete. For example, if your TV’s volume is at max and you still can’t hear it. It would be a smart plan to follow up on any of these signs.
Routine checkups
But what if, to your awareness, you haven’t encountered any of these potential symptoms of hearing impairment? Is there a guideline for how frequently you should go get your hearing checked? With all of the other guidelines for everything, this one seems like a no-brainer. There are, in fact, some suggestions.
- Sometime after you turn 21, you need to get a hearing test. That way, you’ll have a standard of your mature hearing.
- Every three years or so will be a good schedule if your hearing appears healthy. That can be a huge chunk of time to pay attention to, so make sure they’re marked in your medical records somewhere.
- If you show signs of hearing loss, you will want to get it checked right away, and then annually after that.
It will be easier to discover any hearing loss before any red flags become apparent with regular screenings. The earlier you seek treatment, the better you’ll be able to protect your hearing into the future. So it’s time to give us a call and schedule a hearing test.