You know you’re feeling cranky these days but you’re not quite sure why. Well, it was aggravating earlier today when you felt left out of the meeting at work. Last night your daughter seemed annoyed with you when you asked her to turn up the volume of the TV over and over again leading to her suddenly leaving the house. Why would she do that?
Maybe the real issue is hearing loss!
As you age hearing loss can sneak up on you and over 40 million individuals in the US suffer with it. And the problem goes beyond only your ears. Research indicates that even mild hearing loss puts you at risk for memory issues, dementia, and even depression. What you may think is just a sign of age, may actually be a treatable medical problem. Perhaps, your co-workers didn’t exclude you from the conversation after all, maybe you missed crucial conversational queues because you didn’t hear them. Honestly, it can be exceedingly aggravating when you can’t hear during your day-to-day life.
Get the facts about hearing loss
Learning a little more about what you’re coping with is a practical place to begin. Hearing loss does happen to many people due to the aging process. But for other people, it might be caused by years of noise overexposure. Noise-related hearing loss can be caused by lots of noise sources, such as mowing the lawn and leaf blowing, listening to loud music, and driving in heavy traffic with the window down. The fragile mechanisms in your ear can be harmed by lots of noises in the world.
Another potential source of hearing loss is chronic disease that becomes more common with age. High blood pressure, for instance, or diabetes can both interfere with blood flow, which causes damage to the inner ear.
Recognize the signs
People normally take their hearing for granted, so when it starts to go they don’t notice the signs:
- You’re always asking people to repeat themselves or even worse, saying ‘what’ all of the time
- You regularly feel like you are being excluded from the discussions
- Struggling to understand words when there’s background noise like a fan or the AC
If you detect any of these hearing loss signs, it’s no wonder you’re cranky! Depression and social solitude can be the consequence of feeling detached from your world.
Develop a plan to treat hearing loss
One of the very first things you can do is ask family and friends if they have seen you having a hard time hearing. It may seem like a difficult talk but it’s a really worthwhile one. If if they answer ‘yes’ then scheduling a hearing examination should be your next step and will clarify things for you. Ask your loved one to go along with you to your appointment. A supportive, calming friend can be extremely helpful.
Your hearing exam will both gauge whether you’re dealing with hearing loss and how significant it has become. Depending on the results of your test, we will be able to specify your best plan moving forward. Typically, hearing aids will be a major part of the treatment plan. You’ll certainly be able to get a set of hearing aids that will best fit your situation since there are so many styles and options to choose from.
How to select quality hearing aids
Everyone’s hearing loss is unique and we will help you discover what treatment will be best for yours. You will probably need to try a number of brands and models before you find the best fit for your specific taste and hearing needs. Hearing aids don’t simply amplify sound nowadays. They can identify the direction that sound is originating from, block out background noise, and even link to smartphones and computers. Different brands and types of hearing aids include different features, so research them to find out what features you need to better your life.
And, remember to think about styles. They come in lots of fashionable colors or with no color at all, so they’re practically invisible.
If you think you’re suffering from hearing loss, make an appointment with our qualified hearing specialists right away. Don’t you think it’s time to find out and end your grumpy state of mind?
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/hearing-aids/hearing-loss-america/