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As you begin to visualize what you’d like to create or invest in over the next twelve months, wouldn’t it be fun to imagine a future with better hearing? The truth is that hearing loss later in life will happen to most of us, whether experiencing it ourselves or through a loved one. And while hearing loss due to aging is unavoidable, it isn’t something you have to live with. The first step is prioritizing hearing health before it becomes a problem so that you’re ready to confront it if it does.
Commit to monitoring your hearing
It’s likely that the last time you had your hearing regularly checked was probably back when you were a young student. Since that time, like so many of our natural abilities, your hearing health has probably been taken for granted — and ignored.
In a survey conducted by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 2021, most respondents recognized the importance of good hearing health. They even drew the parallels between poor hearing health and feelings of isolation and depression. But when asked if they’d had a recent hearing test, only 20% could answer yes.
The truth is that it’s much more common for us to include other visits in our regular health maintenance cycle, like getting our vision checked.
Schedule hearing appointments and set reminders
Part of prioritizing hearing health could look like scheduling a hearing consultation for the near future and setting reminders to revisit the audiologist within a reasonable amount of time.
If you’re wondering what exactly a recommended schedule for hearing exams might be, you’re in luck. Up until age 50, have your hearing checked at least once per decade. Then, once you blow out the candles on your fiftieth birthday cake, commit to seeing a hearing health professional once every three years. Like many of our abilities, changes in our ability to hear well often impact us more later in life.
Age-related hearing loss and its early signs
One in three people over the age of 65 has hearing loss, a ratio that swells to fifty percent once you hit 85 years of age. One of the primary causes of losing one’s ability to hear later in life is due to the natural aging process. We have fine cells located in the inner ear which receive noise from the world and transmit it to the brain as sound information. Over time, these cells can decay, due to aging or even excessive noise.
Once they are damaged, these cells do not repair themselves. Instead, we simply hear less. Typically, we lose sound as frequencies rather than overall volume, which makes self-diagnosis notoriously difficult.
Difficulty with speech clarity is one of the first signs of early hearing loss. It may seem like everyone around you is mumbling, or that you ask people to repeat themselves in conversation more often. Other signs include avoiding phone conversations or feeling as though talking on the phone is exhausting. You might also rely more often on the closed captioning function of your television to keep up with dialogue in movies and tv.
Why acknowledging and confronting hearing loss matters
It’s tempting to throw your hands up and decide to learn to live with hearing loss. It’s certainly easier (at first) than doing something about it. But it also can lead to extreme mental and emotional distress, as you grow more isolated and removed from connection with other people and loved ones. Depression is often reported by people with untreated hearing loss.
Instead, you can take back your power and choose to be active in both protecting your hearing and confronting hearing loss if it makes an appearance. Start now by scheduling regular hearing exams and if a diagnosis shows that treatment might help, give it a go.
Treating hearing loss can help you to maintain connections with friends and loved ones. Most hearing aid wearers report improved relationships as a result of their investment. You can boost your confidence in the workplace and even lower your risk of cognitive disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Schedule a hearing test today
Our team of hearing health professionals can guide you through the painless and easy process of a hearing exam. From there, we’ll work together to get you on the path back to your most enhanced hearing experience.