Knowing when you require some medical advice is normally rather 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 point is that you’re unlikely to try “toughing it out”. At least, not for that long (particularly if you want your bones to repair themselves correctly).
But with regard to hearing aids, it’s not always so simple to know when it’s time to get some help. Hearing loss is usually a progressive condition. That means it’s not always easy to know when you might need to start using hearing aids or to delay seeking treatment you know could be beneficial.
That’s why it’s a good plan to watch out for some distinct signposts that you might be losing your ability to communicate. If you observe any, it might be time to talk to us about your first set of hearing aids.
Hearing aids and hearing loss
Hearing aids are the primary form of treatment for hearing loss. But everyone who has some degree of hearing loss won’t automatically need hearing aids. Hearing aids won’t always be practical in cases of mild hearing loss. We may want you to hold off on using hearing aids as a result. Likewise, you might be directed to wear hearing aids only in particular situations.
Essentially, the threshold for needing hearing aids isn’t always a diagnosis of hearing loss.
However, hearing aids will be the best solution in many cases. Because hearing loss can be a sneaky and gradual condition, lots of people don’t get a diagnosis until there’s been significant damage. But if you come in to see us regularly, you might be able to catch your hearing loss early, and, as a result, you might not require hearing aids right away.
So how will you know if you have hearing loss?
Indications you need a hearing aid
Hearing loss is one of those conditions that can cause immediate communication problems. But lots of times you don’t even realize that hearing loss is the reason for those communication issues. So, at what point will a hearing aid help?
Look out for these indicators:
- Phone conversations sound muffled: Voices typically sound a little flat on even high-quality phone speakers. That can make it hard to understand, particularly if you have hearing loss. It can be extremely challenging to hear voices as a result of the loss of these frequencies.
- When people talk, you can’t always make out what they said: Many individuals don’t think they have hearing loss or need hearing aids because the overall volume they hear seems fine. But the thing about hearing loss is that certain frequencies of sound often go 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.
- You have a tough time hearing conversations in loud places: This is probably one of the most prevailing symptoms of hearing loss. One of the surest indications of hearing loss is that you have trouble following conversations in noisy places, like bars or restaurants. That’s because your brain has a hard time filling in the missing information that you lose when you have hearing impairment. Lots of conversations get muddled as a result.
- The volume on your devices is becoming very loud: Hearing loss could be the culprit if you continuously need to turn the volume of your devices up. If you find people around you complaining about the high volume of your devices, this is especially relevant.
So how should you deal with it?
When you break your leg, it’s obvious what to do: you go to the doctor! But what about when you experience these signs that you may need a hearing aid? What level of hearing loss requires hearing aids? That’s not a very easy answer but you should make an appointment with us for a hearing assessment if you begin to detect any hearing loss symptoms. We’ll be able to assess the health of your hearing and find out just how severe your hearing loss may or may not be.
A hearing screening will also help you get the most effective hearing aids for your needs if you do indeed need hearing aids. Then you will be able to get back to taking pleasure in good conversations with your friends and family members and doing the things you love.
Call us for a hearing exam so we can help you improve your quality of life.