Knowing when you require some medical advice is usually fairly easy. You know you need to go to the doctor immediately if you break a bone, for instance. You may need a splint or a cast or supportive device, but the thing is that you’re not likely to try “toughing it out”. At least, not for that long (especially if you want your bones to mend themselves properly).
But with regard to hearing aids, it’s not always so easy to identify when it’s time to get some help. Hearing loss is normally a progressive condition. This means knowing when to get treatment for hearing loss can be difficult.
That’s why it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for some distinct indicators that you may be losing your ability to communicate. If you notice any, it may be time to talk to us about your first pair of hearing aids.
Hearing loss and hearing aids
Hearing aids are the main form of treatment for hearing loss. But that doesn’t mean everyone who has hearing loss will instantly need a set of hearing aids. In cases where patients have very minor hearing loss, hearing aids won’t always be useful. We may want you to hold off on using hearing aids because of this. Likewise, you might be advised to wear hearing aids only in specific situations.
In other words, the threshold for requiring hearing aids isn’t always a hearing loss diagnosis.
However, hearing aids will be the ideal solution in many situations. Because hearing loss can be a sneaky and slow condition, lots of people don’t receive a diagnosis until there’s been considerable damage. But if you come in for a hearing exam regularly, you may be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, as a result, you might 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?
You need hearing aids if you detect these signs
Instant communication challenges can be the result of hearing loss. But lots of times you don’t even comprehend that hearing loss is the cause of those communication problems. So, at what stage will a hearing aid help you?
Here are a few of the typical signs you should look out for:
- Phone conversations sound muffled: Even the highest quality phone speakers tend to flatten a voice. That can make it difficult to understand, especially if you have hearing loss. Again, certain frequencies are missing and the result is that it’s extremely hard to hear those voices.
- When people speak, you can’t always make out what they said: Many individuals feel like the total volume of life is fine so they never consider that they may have hearing loss. But the thing about hearing loss is that specific frequencies of sound usually go before others. Because of this, things like vowel sounds in the higher pitches can sound distorted. As a result, you might have a difficult time understanding what people are saying to you.
- You have a tough time hearing conversations in loud places: This is probably one of the most prevailing symptoms of hearing loss. If you have a hard time hearing conversations in loud places, that’s often a sure sign that you have hearing loss. This occurs because your ears are not getting as much information as they used to, and your brain isn’t really capable of filling in the gaps as easily. As a result, there’s a lot of muddled conversations.
- The volume on your devices is becoming really loud: Hearing loss could be the culprit if you continually need to turn the volume of your devices up. This is particularly true if you keep turning that volume knob higher (and even more especially true if the people around you complain about how loud your media is).
So how should you deal with it?
Obviously, you know precisely what you need to do when you break a bone! But what about when you experience these indications that you may need a hearing aid? What level of hearing loss calls for hearing aids? That’s not a really easy answer but you should make an appointment with us for a hearing exam if you begin to experience any hearing loss symptoms. We’ll be able to assess the health of your hearing and ascertain just how serious your hearing loss may or may not be.
And if you do wind up needing hearing aids, a hearing test will help determine the best device for your hearing needs. Then you will be able to get back to enjoying good conversations with your friends and loved ones and doing the things you love.
Call us for a hearing exam so we can help you improve your quality of life.