It’s a noisy world out there, and that’s reflected in the 13% of Americans who have some level of difficulty hearing, even when fitted with hearing aids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Exposure to noise is a common cause of hearing loss, and in most cases, hearing aids are the only way to restore the sounds you’re missing.
The question is, when do you know it’s time? It’s not easy to assess your own hearing level, since your brain constantly recalibrates itself over time. You might always perceive your hearing as “normal,” even after you have significant loss.
With this in mind, Dr. Scott Bateman and the team at Sheridan Ear, Nose & Throat compiled this list of five signs that indicate you could benefit from a hearing aid. There are many symptoms of hearing loss, but these five observations can help you determine when it’s time for a hearing assessment.
As hearing loss progresses, it becomes harder to pinpoint sounds in noisy environments. Sometimes, this is due to the loss of high frequency hearing, a common form of loss that follows years of noise exposure or age-related hearing loss, called presbycusis.
Without hearing response in a range known as “speech definition frequencies,” your ears and brain can’t “focus” on target voices when you’re in a crowded room or noisy environment. You may also notice it’s harder to tell where certain sounds are coming from.
Similarly, high frequency loss strikes in quiet environments. People who take pleasure in the sounds of birds singing as they feed in the morning may notice that the birds aren’t as vocal as in years past. Their high-pitched chirps could fall into the frequency range you’re missing. The birds are still singing. Your ears, however, no longer sense the sounds.
You might notice a new device like a smartphone or tablet no longer provides a volume at which you enjoy listening. In some cases, this might be an ear protection feature built into the device, but other times, it’s a symptom of hearing loss.
Contemporary hearing aids connect with many devices, so they can act as personalized wireless earbuds as well as assistive devices for hearing in general. You can enjoy music and voice programming at the volume that’s comfortable for you with other sound adjustments tuned to your ears’ response.
Tinnitus often accompanies hearing loss. Misleadingly called ringing in your ears, tinnitus occurs all across the sound spectrum. When you’re sitting in a quiet room, you might hear buzzing, humming, and other sounds that aren’t really there.
Hearing aids boost your perception of actual ambient noise, and your brain gives these priority, effectively filtering out the tinnitus sounds.
Do you find yourself avoiding certain friends because you can’t make sense of their voices? Every voice is unique, and someone who has little sound content in frequencies that you’ve lost will sound muddy and hard to understand. Hearing aids can renew your friendships.
It’s time to visit Sheridan Ear, Nose & Throat when you feel any of these signs of hearing loss. Contemporary hearing aids are versatile, discreet, and effective. Call or click to find out more.
