You aren’t really certain why, but you’ve been feeling moody lately. Well, it was irritating earlier today when you felt left out of the meeting at the office. 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 abruptly leaving the house. What’s the deal with that?
Perhaps the real problem is hearing loss!
As you age hearing loss can sneak up on you and over 40 million people in the US suffer with it. And, the problem doesn’t end at your ears, either. Even minor hearing loss puts you at risk of depression, memory loss, and even cognitive decline, according to some research. You might have a treatable medical condition causing your hearing loss but you think it’s simply a sign of aging. Maybe, you missed essential conversational cues and your coworkers didn’t actually exclude you from the meeting after all. Honestly, it can be exceedingly frustrating when you can’t hear during your daily life.
Get the facts about hearing loss
A good place to begin is finding out more about what you’re dealing with. Hearing loss does happen to many people as a result of the aging process. But years of exposure to excessively loud noise can also be the cause for others. Noise-related hearing loss can be caused by lots of noise sources, such as mowing the lawn and leaf blowing, listening to loud music, and driving in heavy traffic with the window down. The world is full of potentially ear-damaging sound that can erode the delicate mechanisms that help you hear.
Chronic diseases that become more common as one grows older are a potential factor as well. When you have disorders that cause problems with your blood pressure, your inner ear can become damaged.
Recognize the signs
People often take their hearing for granted, so when it starts to go they don’t recognize the signs:
- When there’s background sound, like an AC or fan running, you struggle to hear words
- You regularly feel like you are being excluded from the discussions
- You’re always asking people to repeat themselves or even worse, saying ‘what’ a lot
If you notice 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.
Develop a plan to manage hearing loss
Begin 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 may seem like a difficult conversation but it’s a very important one. A hearing exam should be next on your list, particularly if people have noticed you having a hard time hearing. Try to get a family member to accompany you to your appointment. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive person with you.
Your hearing exam will not only help to verify your hearing loss but it will also gauge the degree of it. If hearing loss is established, we will recommend the next strategy for you based on the results of the test. Normally, hearing aids will be a major part of the treatment plan. Don’t worry, there are so many choices and features that you’re sure to find hearing aids that are perfect for your lifestyle!
Deciding on quality hearing aids
We’ll have recommendations that will be best suited for your unique type of hearing loss. Take some to time find the correct brand and model for your needs, this may require testing several styles and models. Today’s hearing aids do so much more than just amplify sound. They can identify the direction that sound is originating from, block out background noise, and even connect to smartphones and computers. Different brands and types of hearing aids come with different features, so research them to determine what features you need to better your life.
And, don’t forget to consider styles. They come in lots of fashionable colors or with no color at all, so they’re practically invisible.
Schedule a hearing assessment with our qualified hearing specialists right away if you suspect you might be experiencing hearing loss. Don’t you think it’s time to take action and end your cranky state of mind?
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/