Hearing loss affects an estimated 15% of American adults—that’s millions of people! Despite how common it is, however, many people don’t realize they have hearing loss until it starts to impact their daily lives.
May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month, and to celebrate, we want to take the opportunity to provide some comprehensive education on hearing loss and encourage you to seek treatment if you’ve noticed symptoms.
What Is Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss occurs when some dysfunction in the ear prevents sound information from reaching the brain. Most commonly, this is caused by aging or exposure to loud noise. In both aging and loud noise exposure, the tiny sensory cells in our inner ear deteriorate, and this condition will continue to progress, never getting better on its own.
What Are the Signs of Hearing Loss?
Keep an eye out for the following signs of hearing loss:
- Muffled sounds
- Asking others to repeat themselves frequently
- Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments
- Turning up the volume on the TV or radio
- Trouble hearing high-pitched noises, like children’s voices and birds
- Declining invitations to social events
- Fatigue or irritability, particularly after heavy-communication days
How Do I Treat Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss is not reversible, but there are ways to manage it so you can regain clear hearing and slow the progression of the condition. Most commonly, this involves hearing aids, high-tech devices that fit almost invisibly in your ear. These catch sounds, digitally process them (so your brain doesn’t have to), and amplify them into your ear according to your personal hearing needs.
When Should I See an Audiologist?
You should see an audiologist—a medical professional who specializes in the ear and auditory system—whenever you notice any of the symptoms of hearing loss listed above. We also encourage you to see an audiologist if you haven’t noticed symptoms yet but want to stay proactive about your hearing health. We recommend this particularly for people who:
- Work in loud environments (e.g., machine shops)
- Are over the age of 50
- Have been exposed to a loud noise recently or enjoy loud hobbies (e.g., attending concerts or shooting firearms)
- Have diseases that are known to be linked to hearing loss, such as diabetes or hypertension
- Take ototoxic medications to manage other health conditions
If you fall into one of these categories, you should have your hearing checked regularly so it can be detected before it affects your daily life.
Celebrate National Speech-Language-Hearing Month by visiting us at Premier Medical Group for a hearing test. We can detect hearing loss and get you onto a treatment plan that fits your needs and improves your quality of life.
And finally, if you’re already a hearing aid user, make sure you’re remembering to visit us regularly for hearing aid maintenance and servicing! We want to keep your devices in top shape so you can continue to enjoy clear hearing.