You know you’re feeling cranky these days but you’re not quite sure why. Well, you did feel left out earlier this morning when no one took the time to pull you into the meeting discussion at the office and that was annoying. The other night your daughter seemed annoyed with you when you asked her to turn up the volume of the TV over and over again resulting in her suddenly leaving the house. Why would she do that?
Did you ever stop to think that maybe you could be suffering from 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 goes beyond only your ears. Even slight hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory problems, and even dementia, according to some research. What you may believe is merely a sign of age, could actually be a treatable medical condition. Maybe, your co-workers didn’t exclude you from the conversation after all, perhaps you missed critical conversational queues because you didn’t hear them. Honestly, it can be extremely frustrating when you can’t hear during your day-to-day life.
Get the facts about hearing loss
Learning a little more about what you’re struggling with is a practical place to begin. For many individuals, hearing loss is a normal side effect of getting older. But for other people, it may be caused by years of noise overexposure. Noise-related hearing loss can be caused by many noise sources, such as mowing the lawn and leaf blowing, listening to loud music, and driving in loud traffic with the window down. The fragile mechanisms in your ear can be harmed by lots of sounds in the world.
Chronic diseases that become more prevalent as one grows older 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 generally don’t detect when their hearing starts to go because hearing is often taken for granted:
- Finding it difficult to comprehend words when there is background noise like a fan or the AC
- You regularly say “what” and often need people to repeat what they said
- When individuals are having discussions, you continually feel left out
If you detect any of these hearing loss symptoms, it’s no wonder you’re grumpy! Feeling detached from your world can trigger depression and even social solitude.
Treating hearing loss
Start by asking a family member or a loved one if they have seen you working hard to hear conversations or if you say “What?” a little too frequently. It might seem like a difficult conversation but it’s a very worthwhile one. A hearing test should be the next thing that you do, especially if people have noticed you having a hard time hearing. Try to get a family member to accompany you to your exam. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive person with you.
Your hearing exam will both gauge whether you’re experiencing hearing loss and how significant it has become. If hearing loss is determined, we will recommend the next course of action for you depending on the results of the test. In most cases, that will entail getting hearing aids. You’ll certainly be able to get a set of hearing aids that will best fit your situation since there are so many styles and options to pick from.
Picking out quality hearing aids
We’ll have suggestions that will be best suited for your distinct type of hearing loss. You will probably need to test a few brands and models before you find the best fit for your particular taste and hearing requirements. Today’s hearing aids do so much more than simply amplify sound. They can block out background noises, link to smartphones and computers, and even determine the direction of a sound. Different brands and types of hearing aids offer different features, so do some research to determine what features you need to improve your life.
Also, don’t forget to consider styles. Some models have no color and are virtually invisible and other models come in vibrant colors.
If you think you’re dealing with hearing loss, schedule an appointment with our qualified hearing specialists right away. Don’t you think it’s time to find out and end your cranky state of mind?
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/
