You’re not quite certain why, but you’ve been feeling cranky lately. 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 up the volume of the TV over and over again resulting in her abruptly leaving the house. Why would she do that?
Did you ever stop to think that maybe you could be experiencing hearing loss?
As you get older hearing loss can sneak up on you and over 40 million individuals in the US suffer with it. And, the issue doesn’t end at your ears, either. Even minor hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory problems, and even cognitive decline, according to some research. You might have a manageable medical condition causing your hearing loss but you think it’s simply an indication of aging. Maybe, your co-workers didn’t exclude you from the conversation after all, maybe you missed critical conversational queues because you couldn’t hear them. Honestly, it can be exceedingly aggravating when you can’t hear during your day-to-day life.
Learn more about hearing loss
Learning a little more about what you’re struggling with is a practical place to begin. Hearing loss does happen to many people due to the aging process. But years of exposure to excessively loud noise can also be the cause for others. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by lots of noise sources, like mowing the lawn and leaf blowing, listening to loud music, and driving in heavy traffic with the window down. The fragile mechanisms in your ear can be damaged by lots of noises in the world.
Chronic diseases that become more prevalent with age are a possible factor as well. When you have conditions that cause issues with your blood pressure, your inner ear can become damaged.
Recognize the signs
People typically don’t recognize when their hearing starts to go because hearing is frequently taken for granted:
- Struggling to understand words when there’s background noise like a fan or the AC
- You regularly feel like you are being excluded from the discussions
- You’re always asking people to repeat what they said or even worse, saying ‘what’ all of the time
If you recognize any of these hearing loss symptoms, it’s no wonder you’re grumpy! Feeling isolated from your world can result in depression and even social solitude.
Managing hearing loss
One of the very first things you can do is ask family and friends if they have observed you having a difficult time hearing. It may seem like a difficult discussion but it’s a really important one. If if they answer ‘yes’ then scheduling a hearing assessment should be your next move and will clarify things for you. Ask your loved one to accompany you to your appointment. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive presence with you.
Your hearing examination will not only help to establish your hearing loss but it will also gauge the extent of it. If hearing loss is determined, we will advise the next course of action for you depending on the results of the exam. In most cases, that will entail getting hearing aids. Don’t stress, there are so many options and features that you’re certain to get hearing aids that are perfect for your lifestyle!
How to select quality hearing aids
We’ll have recommendations that will be best suited for your distinct type of hearing loss. You will most likely need to test a number of brands and models before you determine the best fit for your specific 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 noise, and even link to smartphones and computers. Do some research to find out which brands and models have the features that will best fit your lifestyle and needs.
Think about the style you want for your hearing aids, too. They come in lots of fashionable colors or with no color at all, so they’re practically invisible.
Schedule a hearing assessment with our qualified hearing specialists today if you suspect you might be experiencing hearing loss. Don’t you think it’s time to find out and end your grumpy state of mind?
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/