You’re not really certain why, but you’ve been feeling cranky lately. Well, it was annoying earlier this morning when you felt left out of the meeting at the office. The other 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?
Did you ever stop to think that perhaps you could be battling with hearing loss?
As you age hearing loss can take you by surprise and over 40 million people in the US suffer with it. And, the issue doesn’t end at your ears, either. Even minor hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory problems, and even cognitive decline, according to some research. You might have a treatable medical condition causing your hearing loss but you think it’s simply a sign of aging. Perhaps, your co-workers didn’t exclude you from the conversation after all, perhaps you missed critical conversational queues because you didn’t hear them. Honestly, it can be extremely aggravating when you can’t hear during your day-to-day life.
Learn more about hearing loss
Finding out a little bit more about what you’re dealing with is a useful place to begin. Hearing loss does happen to many individuals as a result of the aging process. But years of exposure to excessively loud sound can also be the cause for others. Everything from the music you listened to when you were 16, to driving with the window down in heavy traffic, to mowing lawns and cleaning up leaves with that loud leaf blower could contribute to hearing loss. The world is full of potentially ear-damaging noise that can deteriorate the fragile mechanisms that help you hear.
Chronic diseases that become more common as one grows older are a potential factor as well. When you have disorders that cause issues with your blood pressure, your inner ear can become damaged.
Recognize the signs
People generally don’t recognize when their hearing begins to go because hearing is often taken for granted:
- You always feel like you are being left out of the conversations
- Struggling to understand words when there is background noise like a fan or the AC
- You frequently say “what” and often need people to repeat what they said
If you notice any of these hearing loss indicators, it’s no wonder you’re grumpy! Depression and social isolation can be the result of feeling detached from your world.
Develop a plan to treat hearing loss
One of the first things you can do is ask family and friends if they have seen you having a hard time hearing. It’s a crucial discussion even if it’s a difficult one. A hearing examination should be the next thing that you do, particularly if people have noticed you having a hard time hearing. Try to get a family member to go along with you to your appointment. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive friend with you.
Your hearing examination 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 specify your best plan going forward. In the majority of cases, that will entail getting hearing aids. Don’t stress, there are so many choices and features that you’re sure to get hearing aids that fit your lifestyle!
Deciding on quality hearing aids
We’ll have suggestions that will be best suited for your individual type of hearing loss. You will most likely need to test several brands and models before you determine the best fit for your particular taste and hearing requirements. Today’s hearing aids do lots more than simply amplify sound. They can block out background sounds, connect to smartphones and computers, and even determine the direction of a sound. Different brands and kinds of hearing aids have different features, so do some research to determine what features you need to better your life.
And, remember to think about styles. Some models have no color and are virtually invisible and other models come in vibrant colors.
Schedule a hearing test with our qualified hearing specialists today if you think you might be suffering with hearing loss. It’s time to get out of that grumpy mindset and we can help!
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/