Should I Get a Hearing Test?

When is it time to have your hearing checked? Here are four clues that you need to have your hearing assessed.

I guess my TV is frequently cranked up to the point where my kids recently complained. You know what I said to them? I said, “What”? It was funny. Because it was a joke. But it also wasn’t. I have needed to turn the TV up increasingly louder lately. And I began to ask myself: should I have my hearing tested?

There aren’t really that many excuses not to schedule yourself for a hearing test. Hearing tests don’t cause you any discomfort, they’re non-invasive, and there’s no radiation. It’s really just that you haven’t put aside time to do it.

You should really be more diligent about staying on top of your hearing because, if left unchecked, it can affect your general health.

There are a lot of good reasons why hearing assessments are important. It’s usually hard for you to observe the earliest signs of hearing loss without one, and even slight hearing impairment can affect your health.

So how can you recognize if you should make an appointment? Here are some clues that it’s time.

You should get your hearing tested if you notice these signs

It’s time to get a professional hearing assessment if you’ve been noticing symptoms of hearing loss recently. Clearly, it’s a strong indication of hearing loss if you’re having a hard time hearing.

But some of the other signs of hearing loss are more subtle:

• You’re always missing text messages: Your phone (or mobile device, as they’re called these days) is made to be loud. So if you’re frequently missing calls or text messages, it may be because you can’t hear them. And if you’re unable to hear your mobile device, what else might you be missing?
• Chronic ringing in your ears: Ringing in your ears, which is called tinnitus, is typically a sign of hearing damage. Ringing in the ear might or might not point to hearing loss. But it’s definitely a sign that you should get a hearing assessment.
• It’s difficult to hear in noisy places: Have you ever had a hard time keeping up with conversations because of ambient noise in a crowded room? That could actually be a sign of hearing loss. As your hearing goes from healthy to impaired, one of the first warning signs is the loss of the ability to isolate distinct sounds.
• It seems like people are mumbling when they speak: Often, it’s clarity not volume you need to be concerned about. One of the first symptoms of hearing loss is trouble making out conversations. It might be time for a hearing assessment if you observe this happening more and more frequently.

Here are a few other situations that show you should make an appointment for a hearing exam:

• Your ear hasn’t cleared after an ear infection
• You take specific medications that can harm your hearing
• You have a buildup of ear wax you’re body can’t clear by itself
• It’s hard to determine the source of sounds
• You have vertigo

This checklist, obviously, is not extensive. For example, if your TV’s volume is at max and you still can’t hear it. But any one of these signs is worth following up on.

Regular examinations

But what if, to your awareness, you haven’t encountered any of these possible signs of hearing impairment? Is there a guideline for how often you should go get your hearing checked? There’s a guideline for everything, right, so there’s got to be a guideline for this. Well, yes, there are recommendations.

• Get a baseline exam done sometime after you’re 21. That way, you’ll have a baseline of your mature hearing.
• Every three years or so will be a good schedule if your hearing seems healthy. That can be a huge chunk of time to pay attention to, so make certain they’re noted in your medical records somewhere.
• You’ll want to get assessed right away if you detect any signs of hearing loss and after that once every year.

Routine examinations can help you detect hearing loss before any red flags surface. The earlier you seek treatment, the better you’ll be able to protect your hearing in the long run. So it’s time to pick up the phone and schedule a hearing assessment.