Whether you’ve already begun a hearing loss treatment program or you don’t have any symptoms of hearing loss, regular hearing tests become more and more important as we age. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends getting your hearing tested every year after you turn 65. At first, you might find this excessive, but there are many reasons for testing this frequently.
Catching Changes in Hearing Early
Hearing loss develops quite gradually, and our brains are very adept at filling in the gaps. Because of this, many people with hearing loss are unaware that they have it or underestimate how severe it is, and therefore aren’t treating it properly. That’s why it’s estimated that fewer than 30% of people who could benefit from hearing aids have ever used them!
If you haven’t noticed any symptoms of hearing loss yet, that doesn’t mean they’re not there. A hearing test can detect what you may have missed. And if you have noticed symptoms but thought they were manageable for now, you may discover that hearing loss has progressed more than you realized.
Catching changes like this early on, before hearing loss can progress even further, can make sure you get the hearing help you need when you need it. Treating hearing loss can slow its progression, keep you connected to the world around you and make adjusting to hearing aids or other treatments easier.
Protect Residual Hearing
Hearing loss caused by exposure to loud noise is called noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL can happen after a single, loud instance, such as fireworks or a loud concert, or accumulate over time, as can happen for people who work in noisy environments. While NIHL is on the rise, it’s also entirely preventable. If you get your hearing test results back and discover some amount of damage due to exposure to loud noise, you can use this knowledge to be more proactive about using hearing protection in the future.
Tune Up Your Hearing Aids
If you’re already a hearing aid user, annual hearing checkups are critical for maintaining your devices and making sure they’re still working well for you. As we’ve discussed, hearing loss will continue to develop, so annual tests give your audiologist an opportunity to retest your hearing and take action on any changes by adjusting your settings or recommending an upgrade. They’ll also have a chance to clean your hearing aids and address any minor repairs that might be needed.
Hearing Health Is Part of Overall Health
Health is complex, and everything is connected, perhaps even more so than we realize. We do know that hearing health has been linked to mental health, balance and fall risk, social connection, work performance, memory, personal safety and independence. Untreated hearing loss has been connected to heart disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders, autoimmune disorders, stroke and cancer, and it may be linked to dementia. You cannot have a holistic picture of your health without taking hearing health into consideration.
Make An Appointment
If it’s been a while since your last hearing test, call us today to schedule one. We look forward to being a part of your hearing health journey.