Have you ever attempted to ignore a toothache? It can be pretty hard. Before long, you end up having no choice but to see a dentist. The same thing happens when your eyesight starts to blur. You’ll most likely contact an ophthalmologist when you start to have difficulty reading street signs. The concern is, you may not show nearly as much urgency when your hearing starts to go.
This would more than likely be a mistake. There are significant health problems (especially mental health issues) that can happen due to neglected hearing loss. Naturally, you can only neglect your diminishing hearing if you’re actually aware of it. And there’s the second challenge.
You Might Have Hearing Loss if You Notice These Symptoms
We commonly don’t appreciate our hearing. A loud performance? No big deal.. Blasting ear pods? You prefer to listen to your podcasts like this. But every one of those choices, especially in the long run, will have a considerable affect on your general hearing.
It can, regrettably, be hard to notice these impacts. Hearing loss can creep up on you incrementally, with symptoms that advance so slowly as to be essentially invisible. That’s why it’s a smart idea to know some primary red flags (and to take care of them sooner than later):
- You find yourself asking people around you to repeat what they said frequently
- You have a particularly hard time hearing consonants when listening to casual speech
- You usually have to crank up the volume on your devices
- You can’t keep a set of earbuds because you keep blowing the speakers
- You have a hard time falling asleep at night and feel fatigued for no apparent reason
- When you’re in a crowded noisy situation you have a tough time keeping up with conversations
- Distorted or muffled sounding voices from people around you (co-workers, family, friends)
- You encounter unexpected problems with short term memory
It’s pretty well known what these red flags and symptoms mean. At first, you will be somewhat oblivious to your symptoms, especially if they come on gradually, because your brain will instantly begin to compensate. That’s the reason why you should schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional because these warning symptoms should be taken seriously.
What Going to Happen if You Neglect Your Hearing Loss?
Indeed, some people are quite obstinate. Or the idea of wearing hearing aids is just too unwelcome. They maintain this fear that wearing a hearing aid is some kind of immediate sign for old age (as if constantly asking someone to speak up is a signifier of unending youth). But that’s not really the situation (most hearing aids can be very discreet, and being able to converse fluently is a boon, too).
Still, it’s worth discussing what might happen if you ignore your hearing loss:
- Your relationships could diminish: When you have a hard time comprehending what your family and friends are saying, something can change in the relationship: you give up speaking with them. You quit saying hi, you stop checking in, you distance yourself. Some of those relationships will be hurt, specifically if the issue is hearing loss that you have kept secret (and not some unexpressed animosity).
- You could cause your hearing to worsen: If you don’t utilize hearing aids or enhanced hearing protection, You’ll keep turning up your devices. Or you won’t use earplugs when you go to rock concerts. And your hearing will continue declining as you keep to do harm to your ears.
- Depression and cognitive decline could result: You may begin to detect symptoms of depression as your relationships falter and going out gets harder. You might also start to experience some cognitive decline without the auditory stimulation your brain is used to, your neural physiology begins to experience certain changes. If your hearing loss isn’t treated, it can lead to longterm cognitive worries.
Hearing Loss Shouldn’t be Ignored
Unmistakably, neglecting your hearing loss can cause bigger and more significant problems down the road. But the inverse is true: acknowledging and dealing with your hearing loss can enhance your quality of life substantially. When you can hear, your relationships get better and your daily life seems fuller. And improving your awareness, either by seeing a hearing specialist or downloading a noise-monitoring app, can improve your complete hearing health.
Hearing loss is definitely a health condition you shouldn’t neglect. The sooner you find the proper treatment, the happier you’ll be. Take care of your hearing loss before it gets too severe to ignore.