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 annual doctor’s appointments, she sees a dentist every six months, and she has an oil change in her car every 3000 miles. But she hasn’t had a hearing test in quite some time.
There are many reasons why it’s essential to have hearing assessments, detecting first symptoms of hearing loss is perhaps the most significant one. Knowing how regularly she should get a hearing examination will help Sofia keep her ears (and hearing) as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
How Many Times Per Year Should my Ears be Checked?
We may be alarmed if Sophia hadn’t had a hearing test in a decade. Or we may think it’s completely normal. Depending on how old Sophia is, reactions may vary. This is because hearing specialists have different suggestions based on age.
- If you are older than fifty: But if you’re over fifty, the suggestion is, you have a hearing exam yearly. Hearing loss is more liable to affect your life as you get older because noise damage starts to add up. Also, there are other health problems that can impact your hearing.
- At least every three years, it’s recommended that you take a hearing test. Certainly, if you think you should have your ears tested more frequently, there is no harm. But once every three years is the bare minimum. If you are exposed to loud noise regularly or work in a field where noise is typical, you should decide to get checked more often. There’s no reason not to do it, it’s painless and easy.
If you want to undergo hearing screenings or tests more frequently, there’s obviously no harm in that, at least in terms of your hearing. The sooner you detect any problems, the sooner you’ll be able to address whatever hearing loss that may have developed since your last hearing exam.
You Should Get Your Hearing Checked if You Notice These Signs
Naturally, your annual (or semi-annual) hearing exam isn’t the only good occasion to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist. Occasionally, you begin to notice some signs of hearing loss. And in those circumstances, it’s usually a good plan to promptly get in touch with a hearing professional and schedule a hearing test.
Some of the signs that might prompt you to get a hearing test could include:
- When you’re talking to people, you repeatedly have to ask people to speak up.
- Cranking your music to extremely high volumes (if your neighbors begin to complain, that’s a good sign you should see a hearing specialist right away).
- Having a very hard time understanding people when talking on the phone, mobile or otherwise
- Your hearing is muted like there is water in your ears.
- It’s common for hearing loss in the high pitched register to go first and since consonants are in a higher pitched register than vowels, they generally go first.
- When you’re in a loud situation, you have trouble hearing conversations.
A strong sign that right now is the best time to have a hearing exam is when the warning signs start to accumulate. The sooner you have your hearing examined, the more frequently you’ll know what’s happening with your ears.
What Are The Benefits of Hearing Testing?
There are plenty of excuses why Sofia may be late in getting her hearing test. Denial is a top choice. Possibly thinking about it is something she is just avoiding. But getting your hearing tested on the recommended schedule has actual advantages.
And it will be easier to identify hearing deviations in the future if you get your hearing examined by establishing a baseline reading even if it seems like everything is just fine. If you identify your loss of hearing before it becomes noticeable, you’ll be able to protect it better.
That’s exactly why Sophia has to go to her scheduled hearing appointments before any permanent impairment happens. By catching your hearing loss early, by getting your hearing examined when you should, you’ll be keeping your ears healthier longer. It’s essential to understand how hearing loss will affect your total state of health.