You’re not quite sure why, but you’ve been feeling moody lately. Well, you did feel excluded earlier today when no one took the time to pull you into the meeting discussion at the office and that was annoying. Last night your daughter seemed irritated with you when you asked her to turn up the volume of the TV over and over again leading to her abruptly leaving the house. Why would she do that?
Perhaps the real problem is hearing loss!
As you age hearing loss can take you by surprise and over 40 million individuals in the US suffer with it. And the issue goes beyond just your ears. Even minor hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory problems, and even dementia, according to some research. What you may think is just a sign of age, may actually be a treatable medical problem. Maybe, your co-workers didn’t leave you out of the conversation after all, perhaps you missed critical conversational queues because you couldn’t hear them. Honestly, it can be very aggravating when you can’t hear during your day-to-day life.
Get the facts about hearing loss
A good place to begin is finding out more about what you’re coping with. Hearing loss does happen to lots of people 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 a teenager, to driving with the window down in heavy traffic, to mowing lawns and cleaning up leaves with that noisy leaf blower could contribute to a loss of hearing. The world is full of potentially ear-damaging sound that can erode the delicate mechanisms that help you hear.
Long-term diseases that become more common as we age are a potential factor as well. When you have disorders that cause problems with your blood pressure, your inner ear can become damaged.
Recognize the signs
People usually take their hearing for granted, so when it begins to fail they don’t notice the signs:
- You always feel like you are being left out of the conversations
- You’re always asking people to repeat themselves or even worse, saying ‘what’ all of the time
- Finding it difficult to hear words when there is background noise like a fan or the AC
Obviously, you’d be cranky if you’ve been struggling with any of these signs! Feeling isolated from your world can result in depression and even social solitude.
Treating hearing loss
One of the 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 challenging one. If the answer is ‘yes’ then scheduling a hearing examination should be your next step and will clarify things for you. Ask your loved one to go along with you to your appointment. A supportive, calming friend can be extremely helpful.
Your hearing test will both gauge whether you’re experiencing hearing loss and how extensive it has become. Depending on the results of your test, we will be able to specify your best plan moving forward. Normally, hearing aids will be a major part of the treatment plan. Don’t stress, there are so many options and features that you’re sure to get hearing aids that fit your lifestyle!
Deciding on quality hearing aids
Everybody’s hearing loss is different and we will help you discover what treatment will be best for yours. You will most likely need to evaluate a few brands and models before you determine the best fit for your particular taste and hearing requirements. Today’s hearing aids do so much more than simply amplify sound. They can identify the direction that sound is originating from, block out background sound, and even connect to smartphones and computers. Do some research to find out which brands and models come with the features that will best fit your lifestyle and requirements.
Think about the style you want for your hearing aids, as well. They come in many fashionable colors or with no color at all, so they are virtually invisible.
Schedule a hearing assessment with our qualified hearing specialists right away if you think you may be suffering with hearing loss. 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/