You’re not quite sure why, but you’ve been feeling moody lately. Well, it was aggravating earlier today when you felt left out of the meeting at the office. Last night your daughter seemed frustrated with you when you asked her to turn the tv volume up over and over again resulting in her suddenly leaving the house. Why would she do that?
Maybe the real problem is hearing loss!
As you age hearing loss can sneak up on you and over 40 million people in the US suffer with it. And, the issue doesn’t end at your ears, either. Research shows that even mild hearing loss puts you at risk for memory issues, cognitive decline, and even depression. You could have a treatable medical condition causing your hearing loss but you think it’s simply an indication of aging. Maybe, your co-workers didn’t exclude you from the conversation after all, perhaps you missed crucial conversational queues because you couldn’t hear them. The truth is, if you can’t hear very well during your day-to-day life, it can become incredibly frustrating.
Get the facts about hearing loss
Learning a little more about what you’re dealing with is a practical place to start. For many people, hearing loss is a natural side effect of getting older. But for other people, it may be caused by years of noise overexposure. Noise-related hearing loss can be a result of many noise sources, like mowing the lawn and leaf blowing, listening to loud music, and driving in loud traffic with the window down. The world is full of potentially ear-damaging sound that can erode the fragile mechanisms that help you hear.
Another potential source of hearing loss is chronic disease that becomes more common with age. When you have disorders that cause problems with your blood pressure, your inner ear can become damaged.
Recognize the signs
People often take their hearing for granted, so when it starts to go they don’t recognize the signs:
- When individuals are having discussions, you continually feel left out
- Struggling to comprehend words when there is background noise like a fan or the AC
- You’re always asking people to repeat themselves or even worse, saying ‘what’ all of the time
Obviously, you’d be grumpy if you’ve been dealing with any of these symptoms! Depression and social isolation can be the result of feeling detached from your world.
Create a plan to manage hearing loss
Start by asking a family member or a loved one if they have noticed you working hard to hear conversations or if you say “What?” a little too frequently. It’s a crucial discussion even if it’s a challenging one. If if they answer ‘yes’ then scheduling a hearing assessment should be your next move and will clarify things for you. Ask your loved one to go along with you to your appointment. A supportive, calming friend can be really helpful.
Your hearing exam will not only help to establish your hearing loss but it will also gauge the extent of it. Depending on the results of your test, we will be able to decide on your best course of action moving forward. In most instances, that will entail getting hearing aids. You’ll definitely be able to get a set of hearing aids that will best fit your lifestyle since there are so many styles and options to choose from.
How to choose quality hearing aids
We’ll have suggestions that will be best suited for your unique type of hearing loss. Take some to time choose the correct brand and model for your needs, this could require testing several styles and models. Hearing aids don’t just amplify sound these days. They can determine the direction that sound is coming from, block out background noise, and even link to smartphones and computers. Different brands and types of hearing aids offer different features, so research them to find out what features you require to improve your life.
And, remember to think about styles. Some models have no color and are virtually invisible and other models come in dazzling colors.
If you think you’re experiencing hearing loss, make an appointment with our qualified hearing specialists today. It’s time to get out of that grumpy mindset and we can help!
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/