According to one recent survey, nearly 30% of people have gone more than ten years without getting a hearing test. Sofia is one of those people. She knows she has to get her oil changed every 3000 miles, she sees the dentist every six months, and she reports punctually for her annual medical examination. But she has no idea the last time she took a hearing test or went through any kind of accurate hearing assessment.
Hearing exams are beneficial for a wide range of reasons, finding initial symptoms of hearing loss is perhaps the most essential one. Sophia can keep her hearing healthy for a lot longer by determining how often to have her ears tested.
How Often Should You Have a Hearing Examination?
If the last time Sofia had a hearing exam was ten years ago, we may be concerned. Or we might think it’s completely normal. Depending on Sophia’s age, reactions could vary. That’s because hearing specialists have different guidelines based on age.
- If you are over fifty years old: The universal suggestion is that anyone over the age of fifty should undergo hearing checks annually. As you get older, the noise damage you’ve suffered over a lifetime can begin to speed up, meaning hearing loss is more likely to start affecting your life. There are also numerous other variables that can impact your hearing.
- It’s generally recommended that you take a hearing assessment around every three years. There’s no issue having your ears checked more often, of course! The minimum is every three years. If you are exposed to loud noise repeatedly or work at a job where noise is commonplace, you should err on the side of getting checked more often. It’s easy and painless and there’s truly no reason not to get it done.
As far as your hearing is concerned, more often is absolutely better. The sooner you identify any problems, the sooner you’ll be able to address whatever loss of hearing that might have developed since your last hearing test.
Signs You Should Get Your Hearing Checked
There are undoubtedly other times besides your yearly hearing exam that you might want to make an appointment with your hearing specialist. Sometimes, you start to notice some signs of hearing loss. And in those instances, it’s usually a good plan to promptly get in touch with a hearing specialist and schedule a hearing exam.
Some of the signs that might prompt you to get a hearing test could include:
- It’s typical for loss of hearing in the high pitched register to go first and because consonants are in a higher pitched register than vowels, they commonly fail first.
- Cranking your television or car stereo to excessively high volumes (if your neighbors start complaining, that’s a good sign you should see a hearing specialist right away).
- Phone conversations are always tough to understand
- When you’re in a loud environment, you have problems hearing conversations.
- Sounds seem muffled; it’s starting to sound as though you always have water in your ears.
- When you’re speaking with people, you constantly need to keep asking people to repeat themselves.
When these warning signs begin to add up, it’s a strong sign that the ideal time to get a hearing exam is right now. The more frequently you get your hearing examined, the sooner you’ll know what’s happening with your hearing.
Hearing Exams, What Are The Benefits?
Sophia might be late for her hearing exam for many reasons. Perhaps she hasn’t thought about it. Potentially she’s just avoiding thinking about it. But there are actual benefits to getting your hearing tested per recommendations.
And it will be simpler to identify hearing deviations in the future if you get your hearing tested by establishing a baseline reading even if it seems as if everything is just fine. You can safeguard your hearing better if you detect it before it becomes an issue.
The point of regular hearing testing is that someone like Sofia will be able to detect problems before her hearing is permanently impaired. By catching your hearing loss early, by getting your hearing checked when you should, you’ll be keeping your ears healthier longer. Understanding the impact of hearing loss on your total health, that’s essential.