Gaining Insight with Your Hearing

Most people ignore small changes that occur with health, even when signs are blaring that there might be a problem. That’s especially evident when it comes to ear health.

No one wants to admit that the TV volume might go up a little bit more every so often in order to know what’s happening in a film. Nor will anyone admit that they’re the problem when everyone else seems to be mumbling during conversations in a group.

Unfortunately, failure to hear is a bigger problem than you might think, with statistics showing that nearly 20% of adults, equating to almost 40 million Americans over the age of 18, have some challenges with hearing. Age progression is one of the primary considerations for loss, with about one out of every three individuals over 65 experiencing difficulty and half of the people over the age of 75 showing signs of hearing trouble.

Unfortunately, many people don’t take the opportunity to have their hearing checked regularly in the same way they would participate in a yearly physical, eye exam, or other preventative testing. Taking that precaution has the potential to catch a problem early, allowing doctors to develop a care plan meant to slow progression plus assist with the current issue.

Tips For Staying On Top Of Ear Health

Yearly wellness checkups mean to ensure the overall health and well-being of the varied body systems. That’s why you engage in physicals, eye exams, dental checkups, and a battery of different tests. Unfortunately, most people are neglectful of having their hearing checked each year.

People have the misperception that they need to have trouble hearing before going for assistance. But as with any health issue, early intervention is ideal. You want to catch a defect before it turns into a real problem. Learn common hearing problems at https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-04-2013/common-hearing-problems.html. Some tips to follow to keep in tune with your ear health include:

** Develop A Baseline

As mentioned, you need to develop that baseline as you would with your cholesterol or your eye prescription, or any other wellness testing that you engage in each year. Having those comparisons can be invaluable since the loss will happen gradually. Once you begin to develop a problem, the doctor can determine a timeline and direct the care plan based on that.

** Warning Signs Will Become Apparent

If you pay attention, you will start to notice warning signs. They make themselves apparent. In all likelihood, those around you will see them before you do, but it’s critical to listen to their feedback, even if it’s tough to hear. Some things to look for:

  • Consistently turning up the volume on standard electronics like your smartphone, laptop, or perhaps the TV to the point it offends other people, but these things are at a comfortable level for you.
  • You have difficulty hearing that typical ding associated with an elevator reaching its floor or the microwave coming to temperature.
  • Suppose you have a conversation with numerous people, but are consistently having trouble understanding their end of the discussion, accusing them of mumbling or speaking unclearly. In that case, there’s a problem with your end of the conversation since it’s happening with more than one person.

** Educate On Why You Can’t Hear

There are many different reasons and causes for failed hearing. Try to educate yourself;  learn more about “unilateral conductive hearing loss,” or the different types of loss. There are several; find out what you can do to prevent these. Work with your audiologist to determine if perhaps an infection might have been the culprit, particularly if you’ve done everything right to this point.

In some cases, there could be growths behind the eardrums on the tiny bones situated there that disallows the sound from vibrating. Surgical procedures can correct these conductive losses. Sensorineural loss is not something that can be medically or surgically corrected, but instead is typically permanent. Generally, an audiologist will work to manage the failure with technology like aids or cochlear implants.

** Always Protect No Matter What

Regardless of whether you have any type of loss or not, you need to protect your ear health. If you’re someone who works in a high-decibel environment, attends loud concerts, or your hobbies are obnoxiously noisy, even if you merely mow the lawn, damages can occur.

The tiny ear hair cells react to sound. When these sounds are excessive, these cells die, and they won’t come back. If you attend a raucous occasion and then experience muffling in your ears or ringing, you’re getting a warning.

It’s not that different from receiving a sunburn; only the ears are stunned for a brief period. Likely the ears will come back, but if you consistently engage in this behavior time and again, there will come a time that it does not recover all the way and that happens without you realizing it.

The way to avoid this type of damage is to wear protection and teach your children to protect their ears early to understand the importance of ear health. Over-the-counter earbuds need to fit snug with little exposure to the noise, or headsets that equally provide the same type of blockage.

Another suggestion is a wholesome diet and a regular fitness regimen. These are not just suggestions. It notes that these contribute to overall body wellness not just for the general systems of the body but for the eyes, the teeth, cholesterol, and the hearing. Each aspect of the body can benefit from this approach.

When you go for that physical each year, make sure that you’re taking care of each body system at the same time. It doesn’t matter if your hearing is perfect. Develop that baseline so that you can see when it begins to slide, if it does. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones as your age progresses, but don’t take that chance.

Always take precautions with your wellness by participating in preventative measures. Don’t ever presume everything is fine, and never wait until you’re having a problem before you seek treatment.

You should really know better than that. Early intervention is so much better than waiting until there is damage. That’s ingrained in us with other components of health and well-being. Why would hearing be any different?

Final Thought

As audiologists will advise, there are a few different types of hearing loss with other causes and ways to treat. View here for the different kinds of failure. It’s in your best interest to educate on hearing and learn the warning signs that you might be experiencing failed hearing. But first and foremost, you need to put this as a priority to add to your list of annual wellness checks. It doesn’t matter if your hearing is 100%. Test it every year to ensure it stays that way, as you would your vision and any other body system.

You don’t look at physicals and say you’ll just have one when something develops. That would be irresponsible. So is waiting on hearing loss before you seek help. It’s critical to take control and allow a baseline to be determined, from which failure detection is eminent as time passes. Then you can get adequate care and the right solution for your specific needs.