How to identify if you have a hearing problem

If you’re going to live life to the fullest, then it’s important that your senses are working as well as they should. While it’s true that our senses can begin to diminish somewhat as we age, it’s when it becomes severe that it begins to be a problem. Let’s take your hearing, for instance. It’s understandable if you’re hearing isn’t quite as good as it was when you were 20, but if you’re struggling to keep up with conversations because you can’t hear, then it’s possible that you have a hearing problem. The good news is that this isn’t something that you should be overly worried about. In this day and age, there are many solutions that can greatly improve your level of hearing. An audiologist will be able to recommend treatment and devices that’ll improve things.

Compare with friends

One of the best ways to see if you have a problem with your hearing is to compare it with your friends or family members. If you’re watching television or listening to music, you can turn the volume down and see at what level you’re unable to hear it. If you can’t hear sound while your friends and family members still can, then that might be a sign that there’s an issue that should be looked at. Of course, it’s important to compare it with the right people. There’s no reason to be alarmed if your 16-year-old son can hear something that you can’t; their hearing will be a lot sharper than yours, for no other reason than that they’re a lot younger!

Remove potential problems

There might be times when it feels like you can’t hear as well as normal. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a problem. Well, it might, but not a problem that should be overly concerning. There are some people who have thought that their hearing is all muffled, and thus something is wrong, but it just turned out that they hadn’t taken out the ear plugs that they’d been wearing throughout the night. So, before you decide that you have a hearing problem, be sure to remove any potential problems that you may have.

Listen to feedback

Our friends and family can be a highly useful asset when it comes to figuring out problems. For many medical related issues, they’re often the first ones to notice. They’ll tell you before anyone if it seems like your hearing may have impacted, in large part, because they’re the ones that you talk with the most. If you’re continually asking other people to repeat themselves, then they’ll tell you. While it’s possible that you’re saying ‘what?’ for no malicious reason (you might just be prone to daydreaming), it’s always worth getting it checked out by a trained audiologist. Indeed, if many people that care about you are telling you anything, it’s usually worth paying attention to.

Focus on your emotional state

Your body and mind will usually tell you what you need to know, if you just listen to them. Pay particular attention to when you’re having conversations. Do you find that you’re getting frustrated, annoyed, or angry because you’re not able to keep track of what’s being said as much as you like? Then there’s probably a reason for it – and that reason could be that you’re experiencing hearing loss.

Visit an audiologist

The best, most foolproof way to know if you have a hearing problem or not is to visit an audiologist. They’ll have specialized tools and ways of working that will be able to identify whether you have hearing loss or not. As well as identifying the presence of a problem, they’ll be able to offer advice on how you can overcome them. For example, depending on what the issue is, it could be that you would benefit from getting a hearing aid, or you may have another type of issue that requires another type of treatment to improve things. If you’re concerned that you may be experiencing hearing loss, then look at getting in touch with an audiologist. Here at Desert Hearing Care, we have a dedicated and experienced team that can help you with many hearing related issues. You can schedule an appointment by phoning us on (480) 374-1846, one of our team members will be happy to set you up with the right professional. You may be experiencing a hearing problem right now, but that doesn’t mean that it’s something that you have to live with forever.