You Should Get Your Hearing Examined Regularly For These Four Reasons

An audiologists Otoscope placed on an Audiogram following a hearing test

Why is having routine hearing tests significant? Well, the reality is that hearing loss can have considerable and long-term impacts on your overall wellness. Your quality of life will be improved, your health will be improved, and you will get the right treatment sooner if you get tested regularly.

Getting a hearing test – who should do it?

A loss in hearing capability can create effects that can seriously hamper your health and wellness. Social isolation, for example, can be a result of neglected hearing loss. Even while doing tasks like going to the store, people with hearing loss will often avoid reaching out to friends and family because they have a hard time understanding conversations. It may not be shocking that this type of social isolation can result in mental health problems, but it might come as a surprise to learn that it can be detrimental to your physical health too.

Hearing loss can trigger other problems as well. For example, neglected hearing loss has been associated with many chronic conditions, including dementia and depression. It’s also been linked to a number of comorbidities, including diabetes, heart conditions, and high blood pressure.

So scheduling a routine hearing test will be a good plan for pretty much everyone.

You should get your hearing tested for these four reasons

Getting your hearing examined can be helpful to your general health for four specific reasons.

1. You can determine the baseline for your healthy hearing

Why would you want to get your hearing tested if it seems healthy? Well, getting a hearing exam early is a good plan for a number of reasons. The most important is that a hearing exam will give us a precise picture of your current hearing health. If your hearing changes in the future, this will make it easier to detect. This is particularly true because hearing loss tends to develop slowly, the first symptoms are not always obvious.

Before you notice any symptoms, a hearing exam will help identify hearing loss in its early stages.

2. Diagnose and treat issues earlier

Hearing loss normally progresses slowly over time. As a result, identifying hearing loss early often means a better prognosis. If you treat the condition as early as you can, you will have more positive results.

When you get treatment early it will mean doing things like using ear protection or potentially wearing hearing aids. Many of the associated problems like cognitive decline, social isolation, and depression can be avoided with early treatment.

3. Future changes will be easier to evaluate

Even if you are diagnosed with hearing loss, that doesn’t mean your hearing won’t continue to get worse as you get older. Routine hearing assessments can help you identify changes as you go along, and make changes to your treatment plan as necessary.

4. You can avoid additional damage to your ears

The majority of hearing loss is caused by damage, the type of damage that occurs slowly and over time. Seeing us regularly to get your hearing assessed helps you identify that damage as early as possible, and it also gives you access to a substantial resource: your hearing specialist. We can help you keep your hearing as healthy as possible by providing you with treatments, best practices, and information.

For instance, we can help you determine ways to protect your ears from day-to-day damage or develop strategies designed to help you keep sounds around you quieter.

What should my hearing exam routine look like?

Generally speaking, it’s suggested that adults get a hearing exam sometime in their 20s or 30s, on the earlier side. Unless we suggest more frequent visits or if you detect any hearing problems, at least every ten years will be the advised interval for hearing assessments.

But maybe you’re thinking: what should I expect at my hearing test? Hearing tests are generally totally non-invasive. Frequently, all you do is wear special headphones and listen for a particular sound.

Whether you need some hearing protection or a new set of hearing aids, we will be able to help you with the best hearing care. And a hearing exam can help you determine when the best time to get your care might be.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.