How to Know When It’s Time for a Hearing Test

When should you get a hearing evaluation? Here are some signs that suggest you should have your hearing tested.

Recently, my children expressed displeasure with the high volume of the TV. Do you know what I said to them? I said, “What?!” It was amusing because it was a joke. But there’s nothing funny about neglected hearing loss. The volume of the TV has been increasing. And I started to ponder: Should I get a hearing test?

There’s no good reason to avoid scheduling a hearing test. They’re not invasive, there’s no radiation, and you don’t have to feel uneasy about discomfort. Just take a quick moment to book an appointment.

Thinking about how much untreated hearing loss can influence your health, it’s important to be more cautious about it.

You should have your hearing tested if you detect these signs

If you’ve recently experienced any symptoms of hearing loss, it’s probably a good plan to get a professional hearing assessment. Obviously, if things are hard to hear, that’s a fairly strong indication of hearing loss.

• It’s hard to hear in noisy locations: Have you ever been to a crowded or noisy room and had difficulty following the conversation because of all the ambient noise? That might be an indication of hearing loss.
• It sounds like everybody’s mumbling all the time: Sometimes it’s not loss of volume you have to be concerned about, it’s a loss of clarity.
• You often miss text messages: Your phone is meant to be loud. If you regularly fail to notice incoming calls or texts, the issue may be that you’re not able to hear them.
• Ringing that won’t go away: Ringing in your ears, also known as tinnitus, is often an indication of hearing damage.

Here are a few other scenarios that suggest you should arrange a hearing assessment:

• Your ear is still clogged following an infection
• Excess earwax has accumulated and can not be removed by self-cleaning approaches
• Medicines you’re taking may be damaging your hearing
• Determining where sounds are coming from can be challenging
• You have vertigo

Routine hearing assessments

But what if you haven’t recognized any of these signs of hearing loss? Is there a guideline for how often you should have your hearing checked?

• Get a baseline test done sometime after you’re 21.
• If your hearing is healthy, get hearing screenings every three years.
• If you show symptoms of hearing loss, have it checked immediately and then every year after that.

Regular screenings may identify hearing loss early, before any warning signs are evident. The earlier you seek treatment, the better you’ll be able to maintain your hearing in the long run. So you should decrease the volume on your television and consider aranging a hearing test.