The New Year is a great opportunity to commit to your health. Kick-off this fresh start by prioritizing your hearing health. You can do this with one simple step: scheduling an appointment for a hearing test.
Benefits of Treating Hearing Loss
Hearing is an important way we move through each day and understand our environment. It is key for communication which is the foundation for relationships, social interactions, work-life, etc. When hearing is impaired, all of these areas of life are impacted. Treating hearing loss alleviates this cumulative toll and offers a wide range of life-changing benefits including:
- Improves physical and mental health. Untreated hearing loss affects health in several ways. Substantial research shows that it increases the risk of experiencing additional health concerns like cognitive decline, accidental injuries, and depression. Treatment lowers these risks and improves health by transforming hearing and communication. The most common treatment for hearing loss is hearing aids. These are electronic devices that help the ears and brain detect and process sound. This significant support provided by hearing aids not only maximizes hearing capacity but strengthens cognitive functions. This improves brain health and reduces the risk of cognitive decline. Additionally, strengthened communication improves relationships, social life, and confidence which boosts mental health.
- Strengthens relationships. Communication is essential for all relationships. Day-to-day communication about silly things, serious matters, and everything in between is part of the intimacy and closeness that is important for relationships. Untreated hearing loss strains communication which can take a toll on conversations, lead to shortened interactions, and tension between people. The treatment creates a greater capacity to hear and communicate, allowing people to have and move through conversations smoothly. This supports spending quality time, having dynamic interactions, and easy conversations with loved ones which strengthen relationships.
- Improves work life. Nearly 48 million people have some degree of hearing loss. It is estimated that 60% of this population is in the workforce. Untreated hearing loss can impact work-life by affecting communication and productivity. Studies have shown that untreated hearing loss increases the risk of underemployment as well as unemployment. Hearing aids can significantly close this gap by supporting hearing, communication, and increasing capacity to manage tasks.
These benefits are among many that fundamentally improve all facets of daily life. Treating hearing loss profoundly enhances health and wellness, contributing to increased happiness.
Recognizing Signs of Hearing Loss
Being able to recognize the signs of hearing loss can help you identify changes to your hearing health. Acknowledging these changes and seeking treatment is incredibly important to protecting your health and wellness. Common hearing loss symptoms include the following:
- Tinnitus refers to a buzzing, ringing, or whistling-like noise that is heard in one or both ears.
- Sounds tend to be distorted, slurred, or muffled.
- Difficulty hearing and distinguishing individual words.
- Needing to increase the volume on the television and/or other electronic devices.
- Frequently asking others to speak slower, louder, or repeat themselves.
- Difficulty navigating conversations, missing words or parts of a conversation.
- Hearing in environments with background noise is challenging.
- Being able to hear better in one ear compared to the other.
These symptoms can be anywhere from mild to severe depending on the degree of hearing impairment present in each ear. If you recognize any of these symptoms or have noticed slight changes in your hearing, it is important to have your hearing assessed as soon as possible.
Prioritizing Your Hearing Health with Desert Valley Audiology
Addressing hearing loss can feel overwhelming. But there is a range of resources, information, and services that make treatment accessible and doable with ease. The first step is to schedule an appointment for a hearing consultation. During this appointment, we take the time to get to know you and learn about your concerns, questions, and symptoms you’ve been experiencing. This appointment also involves conducting thorough diagnostics which assess your hearing ability in each ear. Hearing tests are painless and identify any hearing loss and the degree of impairment that establishes your hearing needs.
At Desert Valley Audiology, we provide individualized care and comprehensive services that are invested in transforming your health. Once we identify your hearing needs, we can recommend treatment options to effectively meet those needs. Kick-off the New Year by calling us to schedule your appointment!