You know you’re feeling cranky these days but you’re not exactly sure why. Well, it was aggravating earlier this morning when you felt left out of the meeting at the office. Your daughter got up and suddenly left the house after becoming frustrated when you kept asking her to turn the volume on the TV up. What’s the deal with that?
Maybe the real issue is hearing loss!
As you get older hearing loss can take you by surprise and over 40 million people in the US suffer with it. And the issue goes beyond just your ears. Even mild hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory loss, and even dementia, according to some research. What you might presume is simply an indication of age, may actually be a treatable medical condition. Perhaps, you missed essential conversational cues and your coworkers didn’t actually leave you out of the meeting after all. The truth is, if you can’t hear properly during your everyday life, it can become extremely frustrating.
Get the facts about hearing loss
A good place to begin is finding out more about what you’re dealing with. For many individuals, hearing loss is a natural side effect of getting older. But years of exposure to overly loud noise can also be the cause for others. Noise-related hearing loss can be caused by many noise sources, like 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 damaged by lots of sounds in the world.
Chronic diseases that become more prevalent with age 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 often take their hearing for granted, so when it begins to go they don’t recognize the signs:
- You regularly say “what” and often need people to repeat what they said
- Finding it difficult to comprehend words when there’s background noise like a fan or the AC
- You regularly feel like you are being left out of the conversations
Obviously, you’d be cranky if you’ve been struggling with any of these signs! Depression and social solitude can be the consequence of feeling detached from your world.
Develop a plan to treat hearing loss
Begin by asking a family member or a loved one if they have noticed you struggling to keep up with 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 examination should be next on your list, especially if people have observed you having a hard time hearing. Ask your loved one to go along with you to your appointment. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive person with you.
Your hearing examination will not only help to verify your hearing loss but it will also gauge the degree of it. Depending on the results of your test, we will be able to determine your best plan moving forward. In the majority of instances, that will entail getting hearing aids. Don’t stress, there are so many options and features that you’re certain to get hearing aids that fit your lifestyle!
Picking out quality hearing aids
Everyone’s hearing loss is unique and we will help you determine what treatment will be best for yours. You will probably need to test a few brands and models before you discover the best fit for your particular taste and hearing requirements. Today’s hearing aids do so much more than simply amplify sound. They can determine the direction that sound is originating from, block out background noise, and even connect to smartphones and computers. Different brands and kinds of hearing aids offer different features, so do some research to determine what features you require to better your life.
Think about the style you want for your hearing aids, as well. They come in lots of snazzy colors or with no color at all, so they’re practically invisible.
If you think you’re suffering from 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/