You know you’re feeling moody these days but you’re not exactly sure why. Well, it was frustrating earlier this morning when you felt left out of the meeting at the office. Your daughter got up and abruptly left the house after becoming annoyed when you kept asking her to turn the volume on the TV up. Why would she do that?
Perhaps the real issue is hearing loss!
Hearing loss is an issue for about 40 million individuals in the US and can sneak up on you with age. And the issue goes beyond only your ears. 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 an indication of aging. Maybe, your co-workers didn’t leave you out of the conversation after all, maybe you missed critical conversational queues because you couldn’t hear them. Honestly, it can be exceedingly aggravating when you can’t hear during your daily life.
Learn more about hearing loss
Finding out a little bit more about what you’re struggling with is a useful place to start. For many individuals, hearing loss is a normal side effect of getting older. But for other people, it may be due to years of noise overexposure. Noise-induced hearing loss can be a result of 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 common as we age are a potential factor as well. High blood pressure, for instance, or diabetes can both interfere with blood flow, which causes harm to the inner ear.
Recognize the signs
People usually don’t detect when their hearing begins to go because hearing is often taken for granted:
- You’re always asking people to repeat what they said or even worse, saying ‘what’ all of the time
- When people are having discussions, you continually feel excluded
- Finding it difficult to understand words when there’s background noise like a fan or the AC
If you recognize any of these hearing loss symptoms, it’s no wonder you’re cranky! Feeling detached from your world can trigger depression and even social isolation.
Managing hearing loss
One of the very first things you can do is ask family and friends if they have observed you having a hard time hearing. It might seem like a challenging talk but it’s a very important one. A hearing test should be next on your list, especially if people have noticed you having a tough time hearing. Try to get a family member to go along with you to your exam. It can be helpful to have a calm and supportive presence with you.
Your hearing test will both gauge whether you’re experiencing hearing loss and how significant it has become. If hearing loss is established, we will recommend the next strategy for you depending on the results of the exam. Normally, hearing aids will be a major part of the treatment plan. You’ll definitely be able to get a pair of hearing aids that will best fit your situation since there are so many styles and options to pick from.
Deciding on quality hearing aids
Everybody’s hearing loss is unique and we will help you decide what treatment will be best for yours. Take some to time find the right brand and model for your needs, this could require testing several styles and models. Hearing aids don’t simply amplify sound nowadays. They can block out background sounds, link to smartphones and computers, and even determine the direction that sound is coming from. Do some research to find out which brands and models have the features that will best fit your lifestyle and requirements.
And, remember to consider styles. Some models have no color and are virtually invisible and other models come in vibrant colors.
Schedule a hearing test with our qualified hearing specialists today if you believe you might be suffering with hearing loss. It’s time to get out of that grumpy mindset and we can help!
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/