According to one recent survey, nearly 30% of people have gone more than ten years without getting a hearing test. One of those people is Sofia. She goes to her yearly doctor’s appointments, she visits a dentist every six months, and she has an oil change in her car every 3000 miles. But she hasn’t had a hearing exam in a long time.
Hearing evaluations are essential for a wide variety of reasons, finding initial symptoms of hearing loss is likely the most significant one. Sophia can keep her hearing healthy for a lot longer by determining how often to get her ears checked.
How Frequently Should You Have a Hearing Assessment?
We may be alarmed if Sophia hadn’t had a hearing exam in a decade. Or perhaps we don’t think anything of it. Depending on Sophia’s age, reactions may vary. This is because hearing specialists have different suggestions based on age.
- At least every three years, it’s suggested that you take a hearing test. There’s no harm in having your ears examined more often, of course! But once every three years is the bare minimum. If you are exposed to loud noise repeatedly or work in a field where noise is common, you should decide to get tested more frequently. It’s easy and painless and there’s really no reason not to get it done.
- If you’re over fifty years old: The standard suggestion is that anyone older than fifty should undergo hearing checks every year. As you get older, the noise damage you’ve sustained over a lifetime can begin to speed up, meaning loss of hearing is more likely to start affecting your life. Plus, there are other health problems that can impact your hearing.
When it comes to your hearing, more often is definitely better. Since you last had a hearing test, you might have new injury you should know about, so more frequent hearing tests could be practical.
You Should Get Your Hearing Checked if You Notice These Signs
There are undoubtedly other occasions besides your annual hearing test that you may want to make an appointment with your hearing specialist. Sometimes, you begin to notice some signs of hearing loss. And in those situations, it’s typically a good idea to immediately contact a hearing professional and schedule a hearing test.
Some of the signs that might prompt you to get a hearing test could include:
- Sounds seem muffled; it’s starting to sound as if you constantly have water in your ears.
- When you’re in a loud situation, you have problems hearing conversations.
- When you’re speaking with people, you repeatedly need to ask people to speak up.
- Phone conversations are always tough to hear.
- Listening to your favorite tunes at excessively high volumes.
- Having a difficult time hearing consonants (generally, consonants are spoken in a higher wavelength than vowels, and it’s those high-frequency sounds that are often the first to go as hearing loss sets in)
A good sign that right now is the best time to get a hearing exam is when the warning signs begin to add up. You need to recognize what’s going on with your hearing and that means having a hearing exam sooner rather than later.
Hearing Exams, What Are The Advantages?
Sophia may be late for her hearing exam for many reasons. Perhaps she hasn’t considered it. Possibly thinking about it is something she’s just avoiding. But there are tangible benefits to having your hearing tested per recommendations.
Even when your hearing is totally healthy, a hearing exam can help create a baseline reading, which makes deviations in the future easier to detect. You can safeguard your hearing better if you detect it before it becomes a problem.
The reason for regular hearing testing is that someone like Sofia will be in a position to identify problems before her hearing is impaired permanently. Early diagnosis by a hearing test can help your hearing stay healthy for a long time. Considering the effects of hearing loss on your overall health, that’s important.
