New Year’s Resolution: Take a Hearing Test

It’s that time of year again, when we all make resolutions to do things differently in the next year. Some are just for fun, like joining a book club. Some are health related, like eating more vegetables, or exercising. Speaking of health-related resolutions, what about your hearing?

Hearing loss is the third most common medical condition in the US. Hearing specialists recommend an annual hearing test to monitor your abilities and address hearing loss if it appears. As a gradual condition, one may not experience the symptoms right away. That’s why an annual hearing test is so important.

Many people think they don’t need to take a hearing test. They’re your ears after all, so you think you’d realize if something was wrong. The trouble is, hearing loss has a way of creeping up on you. Since hearing loss is a gradual process, it changes so slowly that you don’t notice the day to day changes. Many people with mild to moderate hearing loss think their hearing is fine, and only notice they have a problem when someone asks if they can hear the birds chirping, or tells them the TV volume is too loud. It takes a hearing professional to determine what kind of hearing loss you have, and how severe it is.

The most obvious reason to book a hearing test is if you are experiencing any of the signs of hearing loss. Missing high frequency sounds, having a hard time following conversations, struggling to hear on the phone, or experiencing ringing or buzzing in the ears are all reasons to book a hearing test. Hearing loss isn’t just a problem for seniors, and can affect anyone. Come in for a hearing test as soon as possible.

If you’re over 50 years old, it’s recommended that you have a hearing test once per year. Even if you think your hearing hasn’t changed, it’s important to catch hearing loss in its early stages when you’ll have no trouble adapting to hearing aids.

If you are often in excessively loud environments, it’s also a good idea to get your hearing tested every year. For those of you who work in a noisy profession like construction, manufacturing, music, or agriculture, mark your calendars now and test every year. Some leisure activities will also put you at high risk of hearing loss, and these include frequently attending concerts and sporting events, using headphones every day, or hunting. Scheduling a hearing test once per year is a must, since exposure to loud noises is one of the most common causes of hearing loss.

Hearing tests are completely painless and non-invasive. They involve several auditory tests to measure how well you’re hearing sounds, and how much hearing loss you are dealing with.

The first step in any hearing test is to examine your ears to check for problems in the ear, and to make sure no earwax is blocking the ear canal. We’ll also ask you some questions about your hearing health, noise exposure, and family history with hearing loss.

The hearing tests we use include a speech recognition test to see how well you understand speech at different volumes, a pure tone audiometry test that plays a series of loud, soft, high, and low tones through headphones to determine your hearing range, and a tuning fork test to see how well sound vibrations move through your ear. These determine what kind of hearing loss you have and how well the brain is processing sounds.

You’ve taken a test, and you have hearing loss. The next step is to get fitted for hearing aids. Even if your hearing loss isn’t too bad yet, without treatment it will continue to deteriorate, and your brain will slowly lose the ability to recognize speech sounds. If you hold off on getting hearing aids until your hearing loss is severe, some sounds will never come back, and your brain will have great difficulty adapting to the hearing devise.

Hearing tests are the first step in better hearing. It provides insight into your level of hearing, and lets us give you personalized treatment options that will match your hearing loss, lifestyle, and budget, ensuring you’ll have a smooth transition to natural hearing.

This New Year’s, we hope you make a resolution to take a hearing test. It’s an easy resolution to keep, and has the potential to change your life. Call one of our My Hearing Centers locations today to book an appointment, and check this resolution off your list.