Hearing loss often creeps into your life in subtle ways, but before you know it, ‘huh’ and ‘what’ have become the most common words in your vocabulary. Most people wait an average of 7 years before they seek help for their hearing loss.
By the time you or your family get fed up with yelling and repeating, irreversible damage has already been done. When you delay treatment for your hearing loss you are actually doing more harm than you realize. Studies have shown living with hearing loss can lead to isolation, depression, cognitive impairment and dementia. Luckily early detection of hearing loss can help avoid those issues.
Aging, exposure to loud noise and medication all contribute to gradual hearing loss. Often those people who are actually losing their hearing don’t notice, until a friend or a family member mentions it.
Because early detection of hearing loss is so important here are some early warning signs to look for:
- Finding it hard to understand the voices of women and children in particular
- Being asked to turn down the volume on the TV
- Not being able to tell which direction a sound is coming from
- Leaning closer to the person you are speaking with in order to hear them
Get A Hearing Test
The easiest way to detect your hearing loss early is to have your hearing tested every year, just like you do your yearly physical with a doctor. At Southwestern Hearing Centers we make early detection of hearing loss easy and free. Our hearing exam is always free and takes less than an hour to complete. By having your hearing tested yearly we will be able to treat your hearing loss early on. Treating your hearing loss with hearing aids may help you to avoid other negative health issues like depression, dementia and isolation. Our hearing experts are specially trained to assess your hearing and find the best hearing technology to fit your needs.