Why is having regular hearing tests important? Well, the fact is that hearing loss can have considerable and long-term impacts on your overall wellness. Having your hearing assessed regularly can help you identify hearing loss early, get care sooner, and, improve your health, well-being, and quality of life.
Getting a hearing test – who should do it?
A loss in hearing ability can create effects that can greatly hamper your health and well-being. Social isolation, for instance, can be a consequence of untreated hearing loss. Conversations with family and friends can become more difficult, and individuals who suffer from hearing loss might be less likely to reach out to others, even during normal activities like grocery shopping or going to work. This type of social isolation can be detrimental to your mental health and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, your physical wellness.
Hearing loss can cause other problems as well. For example, untreated hearing loss has been associated with many chronic conditions, including cognitive decline and depression. It’s also been associated with a number of comorbidities, including diabetes, heart problems, and high blood pressure.
As a result, it’s generally a good idea for just about anyone to schedule a routine hearing test.
Four reasons to check your hearing
Getting your hearing tested can be helpful to your general health for four distinct reasons.
1. Setting a baseline for your hearing is significant
Why would you want to get your hearing checked if it seems healthy? Well, getting a hearing test early is a good idea for a number of reasons. The most important is that a hearing test will give us a precise picture of your present hearing health. If your hearing changes in the future, this will make it easier to identify. Early symptoms of hearing loss usually go undetected because hearing loss usually develops gradually over time.
Getting a baseline hearing exam will help identify problems well before you observe them.
2. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential
Hearing loss is normally a progressive condition, meaning it tends to get worse over time. As a result, identifying hearing loss early frequently means a better prognosis. This is because you’re capable of treating the condition at the earliest possible juncture.
When you get treatment early it will mean doing things like using ear protection or possibly wearing hearing aids. Treatment can help prevent many of the associated problems listed above, including dementia, depression, and social isolation.
3. It’s easier to evaluate future changes
Your hearing loss will continue to progress even after you get diagnosed. Regular hearing tests can enable early detection and your treatment plan can be adjusted as needed.
4. Further damage can be prevented
Most hearing loss is caused by damage, the kind of damage that happens slowly and over time. Your hearing specialist is a considerable resource and visiting us regularly will help you detect any hearing loss as early as possible. We can give you information, treatments, and best practices that can help keep your ears as healthy as possible.
For instance, we can help you figure out ways to safeguard your ears from day-to-day damage or establish strategies designed to help you keep sounds around you quieter.
What should my hearing test routine look like?
In general, it’s recommended that adults undergo a hearing test sometime in their 20s or 30s, on the earlier side. Unless we recommend more frequent visits or if you notice any hearing issues, at least every ten years will be the advised interval for hearing assessments.
But maybe you’re thinking: what should I expect at my hearing test? Generally, they’re entirely non-invasive procedures. Typically, you simply listen for some tones in a special pair of headphones.
We will be able to help you get the care you require, whether you need a pair of hearing aids or you just need to safeguard your ears. And a hearing exam can help you figure out when the best time to get your care might be.