You know you’re feeling moody these days but you’re not quite sure why. Well, you did feel excluded earlier this morning when no one took the time to bring you into the meeting discussion at the office and that was aggravating. Your daughter got up and suddenly left the house after becoming irritated when you kept asking her to turn the volume on the TV up. What’s the story with that?
Did you ever stop to think that perhaps you could be battling with hearing loss?
As you age hearing loss can sneak up on you and over 40 million individuals in the US suffer with it. And the issue goes beyond just your ears. Even mild hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory loss, and even cognitive decline, according to some research. You might have a manageable medical condition causing your hearing loss but you think it’s just a sign of aging. Perhaps, your co-workers didn’t leave you out of the conversation after all, maybe you missed crucial conversational queues because you couldn’t hear them. Honestly, it can be extremely aggravating when you can’t hear during your day-to-day life.
Get the facts about hearing loss
Learning a little bit more about what you’re dealing with is a useful place to start. Hearing loss does happen to lots of people as a result of the aging process. But years of exposure to overly loud sound can also be the cause for others. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by lots of noise sources, including 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 noise that can erode the fragile mechanisms that help you hear.
Another possible source of hearing loss is chronic disease that becomes more prevalent as we grow older. High blood pressure, for instance, or diabetes can both hinder blood flow, which causes damage to the inner ear.
Recognize the signs
People normally take their hearing for granted, so when it begins to fail they don’t recognize the signs:
- When there is background sound, like an AC or fan running, you struggle to hear words
- You regularly say “what” and often need people to repeat what they said
- You regularly feel like you are being left out of the conversations
Obviously, you’d be grumpy if you’ve been coping with any of these signs! Depression and social solitude can be the outcome of feeling separated from your world.
Treating hearing loss
One of the very first things you can do is ask friends and family members if they have seen you having a difficult time hearing. It’s a crucial conversation even if it’s a difficult one. A hearing examination should be next on your list, especially if people have observed you having a tough time hearing. Ask your loved one to go along with you to your appointment. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive presence with you.
Your hearing exam will not only help to confirm your hearing loss but it will also gauge the extent of it. If hearing loss is determined, we will advise the next course of action for you depending on the results of the exam. In the majority of instances, that will involve getting hearing aids. Don’t worry, there are so many choices and features that you’re sure to find hearing aids that fit your lifestyle!
Picking out quality hearing aids
We’ll have recommendations that will be best suited for your distinct type of hearing loss. Take some to time find the right brand and model for your needs, this may require testing several styles and models. Today’s hearing aids do so much more than simply amplify sound. They can block out background noises, connect to smartphones and computers, and even determine the direction that sound is coming from. Do some research to determine which brands and models provide the features that will best fit your lifestyle and requirements.
Think about the style you want for your hearing aids, as well. Some models have no color and are almost invisible and other models come in vibrant colors.
Schedule a hearing exam with our qualified hearing specialists today if you think you could 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/
