You know you’re feeling moody these days but you’re not exactly sure why. Well, it was aggravating 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 abruptly leaving the house. 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 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 slight hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory problems, and even dementia, according to some research. What you may think is merely an indication of age, may actually be a treatable medical problem. Perhaps, you missed significant conversational cues and your coworkers didn’t actually exclude you from the meeting after all. The truth is, if you can’t hear properly during your day-to-day life, it can become incredibly frustrating.
Get the facts about hearing loss
A good place to begin is learning more about what you’re coping with. Hearing loss does happen to lots of people due to the aging process. But years of exposure to overly loud sound can also be the cause for others. Everything from the music you listened to when you were a teenager, to driving with the window down in traffic, to mowing lawns and cleaning up leaves with that noisy leaf blower could contribute to hearing loss. The world is full of potentially ear-damaging noise that can erode the delicate mechanisms that help you hear.
Chronic diseases that become more prevalent as we age are a potential factor as well. High blood pressure, for instance, or diabetes can both hinder blood flow, which can cause damage to the inner ear.
Recognize the signs
People usually don’t recognize when their hearing starts to go because hearing is frequently taken for granted:
- When individuals are conversing, you continually feel excluded
- 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
Naturally, you’d be grumpy if you’ve been dealing with any of these symptoms! Depression and social solitude can be the outcome of feeling detached from your world.
Make a plan to manage hearing loss
Begin by asking a family member or a loved one if they have noticed you struggling to keep up with conversations or if you say “What?” a little too often. It may seem like a difficult conversation but it’s a really important one. A hearing test should be next on your list, particularly if people have observed you having a hard time hearing. Try to get a loved one to accompany you to your appointment. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive person with you.
Your hearing test will not only help to verify your hearing loss but it will also gauge the extent of it. Depending on the results of your test, we will be able to figure out your best course of action moving forward. In most cases, that will entail getting hearing aids. Don’t worry, there are so many choices and features that you’re certain to find hearing aids that are perfect for your lifestyle!
Picking out quality hearing aids
We’ll have recommendations that will be best suited for your individual type of hearing loss. You will probably need to evaluate several brands and models before you find the best fit for your particular taste and hearing needs. Today’s hearing aids do a lot more than simply amplify sound. They can identify the direction that sound is originating from, block out background sound, and even link to smartphones and computers. Different brands and kinds of hearing aids offer different features, so research them to determine what features you require to improve your life.
Also, don’t forget to consider styles. Some models have no color and are nearly invisible and other models come in vibrant colors.
If you think you’re suffering from hearing loss, make an appointment with our qualified hearing specialists right away. It’s time to get out of that cranky mindset and we can help!
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/