Happy New Year! Perhaps you have resolutions to spend more time outside, to laugh more with your friends, or to get involved in a volunteer program to donate some of your skills and time. Whatever your resolutions may be, please consider this an excellent time to check up on your own health and wellbeing, which includes your hearing.

Hearing Loss is Sometimes Subtle, Often Gradual

Many of us get a yearly physical to keep track of our health. We want to make sure we don’t have any health problems that escaped our attention and we hope to be proactive about any problems that may arise.The same reasoning applies to making an appointment for an annual hearing test. You need to monitor your hearing health and be alerted to any changes that might occur. By the time most people notice their hearing loss on their own, the extent of that loss is already advanced. Even if you haven’t noticed many signs of hearing loss, it’s still important to get your hearing tested by a hearing health professional once a year. That way, if you start to lose some of your hearing ability, you’ll be ready to address it so that it can’t negatively affect your life.

Self-Monitor for Signs of Hearing Loss

You should also self-monitor for hearing loss, and should be on the lookout for any signs of changes in your hearing that may occur in your daily life. Some situations can serve as indicators that you might have hearing loss or another hearing condition. These instances include:

• You find it challenging to pinpoint the direction from which a sound is originating.
• You experience difficulty listening to conversations in noisy environments.
• You find yourself frequently asking people to repeat themselves.
• Sounds or voices seem muffled or distant.
• You have trouble hearing while on the phone.
• You sometimes need to turn the volume on the TV up in order to hear comfortably, even though others say it's too loud.
• You withdraw from social settings to avoid embarrassment or feeling isolated in the conversations because you aren’t able to follow it.
• You suffer a ringing, buzzing or whooshing sensation in your ears.

If you can identify with two or more of the situations above, it's definitely in your best interest to get your hearing tested as soon as possible.

Untreated Hearing Loss Can Affect Your Health and Happiness in 2019

Although many people don’t want to believe it, chances are good that there will be some sort of change in your hearing health over time. People of any age can experience hearing loss, whether from intense noise levels at concerts, sporting events, or work environments, or simply as a result of aging.Consider these statistics:

• 12.5% of American children between the ages of 6 and 19 have had their hearing permanently damaged from overexposure to loud noise
• 14% of American adults between the ages of 45 and 64 have some type of hearing loss
• 30-40% American adults over the age of 65 have some type of hearing loss
• 50% of American adults over the age of 75 have some type of hearing loss

Untreated hearing loss should not be taken casually. In most situations, the longer you wait to see a professional, the worse your hearing will get. It’s also been linked to a plethora of other medical conditions, including depression, sleep apnea, heart disease, and dementia, just to name a few.Untreated hearing loss can also cause a fall in earning power and create tensions in workplace relationships. Your personal relationships may also suffer, as communication with your loved ones will likely be strained. This can lead to frustration on all accounts.

Treating Hearing Loss

Taking early action to address your hearing loss can make all the difference. The use of hearing aids has been shown to improve brain function, combat those professional and personal setbacks, and improve your overall quality of life.Annual hearing exams can give you peace of mind that you’re doing everything you possibly can to take care of your health and maintain your quality of life. If you think you may have hearing loss, it’s important to seek treatment right away. Schedule an appointment with us at Glendora Hearing and take control of your hearing health!