It’s hard to believe but most individuals have gone over ten years without getting a hearing test.
Harper is one of them. She reports to her doctor for her annual medical exam and has her teeth cleaned every six months. She even replaces her timing belt every 6000 miles. But her hearing test typically gets neglected.
Hearing tests are essential for a wide variety of reasons, the most notable of which is that it’s usually difficult for you to detect the earliest indications of hearing loss without one. Harper’s ears and hearing will remain as healthy as possible if she knows how often to get her hearing checked.
So you should have your hearing examined how often?
If the last time Harper had a hearing exam was over a decade ago, that’s disconcerting. Or perhaps it isn’t. Our reaction will vary depending on her age. Depending on age, recommendations will vary.
- If you are over fifty years of age: The general suggestion is that anyone over fifty years old should make an appointment for yearly hearing evaluations. As you get older, the noise damage you’ve sustained over a lifetime can begin to accelerate, which means hearing loss is more likely to start impacting your life. In addition, there might be other health issues that can affect your hearing.
- If you are under fifty years old: Once every 3 to 10 years is recommended for hearing exams. Obviously, it’s ok to get a hearing test more often. But the bare minimum is once every ten years. If you’ve been subjecting yourself to loud concert noise or work in a field with high volume levels, you should err on the side of caution and get tested more often. After all, it’s painless, easy, and there’s really no good reason not to do it.
You should have your hearing checked if you experience any of these signs.
Obviously, there are other times, besides the yearly exam, that you may want to come in for a consultation. Perhaps you start to notice some symptoms of hearing loss. And in those cases, it’s important to contact us and schedule a hearing test.
Here are some indications that you need a hearing exam:
- Asking people to talk slower or repeat themselves during a conversation.
- You’re having a difficult time making out conversations when you’re in a loud setting.
- Rapid hearing loss in one ear.
- Turning your tv or car stereo up to excessively high volumes.
- You’re having a hard time hearing sounds in higher frequencies like consonants.
- Phone conversations are becoming more difficult to hear.
- Sounds get muffled; it starts to sound as though you always have water inside of your ears.
It’s a solid hint that it’s time to get a hearing test when the above warning signs start to accumulate. The sooner you get your hearing tested, the sooner you’ll know what’s happening with your ears.
How will a hearing test be beneficial?
There are plenty of reasons why Harper might be late in getting her hearing checked.
Perhaps she hasn’t thought about it.
Maybe she’s purposely avoiding thinking about it. But getting the suggested hearing tests has concrete benefits.
Even if you think your hearing is totally healthy, a hearing test will help establish a baseline reading, which makes deviations in the future easier to detect. If you can catch your hearing loss before it becomes obvious, you can better protect it.
The point of regular hearing tests is that somebody like Harper will be able to detect problems before her hearing is permanently diminished. Catching your hearing loss early by getting your hearing checked when you should will help you keep your ears healthier, longer. If you allow your hearing to go, it can have an affect on your overall health.