You know you’re feeling cranky these days but you’re not exactly certainly why. Well, it was aggravating earlier today when you felt left out of the meeting at work. Your daughter got up and suddenly left the house after becoming annoyed when you kept asking her to turn the TV volume up. What’s the story with that?
Maybe the real problem is hearing loss!
As you age hearing loss can take you by surprise and over 40 million individuals in the US suffer with it. And the problem goes beyond only your ears. Research indicates that even minor hearing loss puts you at risk for memory issues, dementia, and even depression. What you might presume is simply an indication of age, may actually be a treatable medical condition. Maybe, you missed essential conversational cues and your coworkers didn’t actually exclude you from the meeting after all. The truth is, if you can’t hear properly during your day-to-day life, it can become incredibly frustrating.
Learn more about hearing loss
A good place to begin is discovering more about what you’re coping with. Hearing loss does happen to lots of people as a result of the aging process. But years of exposure to overly loud sound can also be the cause for others. Everything from the music you listened to when you were 16, to driving with the window down in traffic, to mowing lawns and cleaning up leaves with that noisy leaf blower could contribute to hearing loss. The world is full of potentially ear-damaging sound that can deteriorate the fragile mechanisms that help you hear.
Another possible source of hearing loss is chronic disease that becomes more prevalent as we grow older. High blood pressure, for instance, or diabetes can both hinder blood flow, which causes harm to the inner ear.
Recognize the signs
People usually don’t recognize when their hearing starts to go because hearing is frequently taken for granted:
- When there’s background sound, like an AC or fan running, you struggle to hear words
- You’re always asking people to repeat what they said or even worse, saying ‘what’ all of the time
- You regularly feel like you are being excluded from the discussions
If you recognize any of these hearing loss symptoms, it’s no wonder you’re grumpy! Depression and social isolation can be the outcome of feeling detached from your world.
Managing hearing loss
One of the initial things you can do is ask family and friends if they have seen you having a difficult time hearing. It may seem like a difficult discussion but it’s a very worthwhile one. If the answer is ‘yes’ then scheduling a hearing assessment should be your next move and will clarify things for you. Ask your loved one to accompany you to your appointment. A supportive, calming presence can be extremely helpful.
Your hearing exam will not only help to confirm your hearing loss but it will also gauge the extent of it. If hearing loss is established, we will advise the next strategy for you depending on the results of the exam. In most instances, that will entail getting hearing aids. Don’t stress, there are so many options and features that you’re certain 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 individual type of hearing loss. Take some to time find the right brand and model for your needs, this might require testing a few styles and models. Today’s hearing aids do lots more than simply amplify sound. They can block out background noises, link to smartphones and computers, and even pinpoint the direction of a sound. Do some research to determine which brands and models provide the features that will best fit your lifestyle and requirements.
And, don’t forget to think about styles. Some models have no color and are almost invisible and other models come in dazzling colors.
If you think you’re dealing with hearing loss, make an appointment with our qualified hearing specialists right away. It’s time to get out of that grumpy mindset and we can help!
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References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/