Checking Your Hearing
As a first step towards preventing hearing loss, if you’re over 50, we recommend getting a hearing care professional to check your hearing yearly. Hearing loss can be discreet in that you may not realise that your hearing isn’t what it used to be and, even if your hearing is in good health, it’s good practice to have baseline measurements.
If your work, hobbies or environment regularly expose you to loud noises, then we recommend yearly checks regardless of age.
Getting your hearing checked is usually simple and painless as it often involves listening to a variety of test sounds. Hearing checks can reveal if you have hearing loss or not and in some cases diagnose what part of the ear is responsible.1
Benefits of Early Detection
Why should you get your hearing checked regularly? The evidence is straightforward: early checking and diagnosis are better, resulting in superior clinical outcomes, including hearing health, quality of life, listening ability and ‘communications partner’-reported outcomes.2
Getting your hearing checked regularly can allow your hearing care professional to diagnose certain conditions early on. If you have a treatable condition, such as an ear infection, you can get help that may halt or improve the condition. If you have an ongoing condition, such as Meniere’s Disease, then you can learn strategies to mitigate its effects and prevent your hearing loss from getting worse.
Quality of Life Improvements
There’s a well-established link between good hearing health and overall well-being.3 Hearing loss can make communicating with family, friends, co-workers and people you meet in your day-to-day life difficult. Healthy hearing can increase social engagement, improve communication and reduce the risk of depression.
Fortunately, today’s sophisticated hearing checks can detect even the most subtle changes in hearing, in some cases, before the person even notices them. The sooner you take action, the sooner you’ll feel the benefits.
Ear and Hearing Care Tips
Beyond regular checking, you can do plenty to protect your hearing. Here’s a quick summary:4
- Avoid excessive noise: you can do this by wearing earplugs when at a concert, attending a sporting event, using power tools or travelling by plane.
- Adopt a healthy lifestyle: this includes moderate exercise and a good diet with magnesium-rich foods such as nuts and green vegetables.
- Moderate volume: you should take particular care with action or disaster movies that transition from quiet to loud. Especially if wearing headphones - as hearing loss from headphones can be a potential problem.
Ready to prioritise your hearing health? Drop into your local
Connect Hearing clinic for a consultation. The team can check your hearing, provide any assistance and give you confidence that you’re properly caring for your hearing.
References:
- Mayo Clinic (30 March 2023), Hearing loss, WebMD LLC, accessed 18 June 2024.
- National Library of Medicine (June 2018), Early versus delayed management of hearing loss, National Center for Biotechnology Information [U.S.], accessed 18 June 2024.
- Hearing Aid Associates (n.d.), The Profound Connection: Exploring the Vital Link Between Hearing Health and Overall Well-being, Hearing Aid Associates, accessed 18 June 2024.
- Lompoc Valley Medical Center (22 September 2021), 11 Easy ÍWays To Protect Your Hearing and Ear Health, Lompoc Valley Medical Center, accessed 18 June 2024.