At what point should you think about getting your hearing assessed? Here are some signs you should get your hearing checked.

The other day, my kids complained about how loud my TV was. My answer …” What?!” It was amusing because it was a joke. But there’s nothing funny about untreated hearing loss. The volume of the TV has been increasing. And I began to wonder: Should I get a hearing exam?

There aren’t many good reasons not to set up a hearing exam. They’re non-intrusive, they don’t involve any radiation, and you can be at ease without worries about your level of comfort. You just need to take a brief minute to schedule an appointment.

Considering how much untreated hearing loss can affect your health, it’s important to be more vigilant about it.

Indications you should get a hearing exam

If you’ve noticed any recent changes that might be a sign of hearing loss, booking a comprehensive hearing examination with a professional is probably a smart decision. Obviously, if things are hard to hear, that’s a fairly solid indication of hearing loss.

• It’s hard to hear in noisy places: Have you ever been to a crowded or noisy space and had trouble keeping up with the conversation because of all the ambient noise? It’s possible that this might be an indication of a loss of hearing.
• It sounds like everybody’s mumbling all the time: Sometimes it’s not loss of volume you need to be concerned about, it’s a loss of clarity.
• You’re always overlooking text messages: Your phone is made to be loud. So, if you’re always missing calls or text messages, it could be because you’re noy hearing them.
• Persistent ringing sound: A constant sensation of ringing in your ears, referred to as tinnitus, is frequently a sign of damage to your hearing.

Other indications you should schedule a hearing test:

• Your ear is still blocked following an infection
• Excess earwax has accumulated and can’t be eliminated by self-cleaning methods
• You take certain medications that can damage your hearing
• Determining where sounds are originating from can be challenging
• You’re experiencing balance problems

Routine hearing evaluations

But what if you haven’t noticed any of these indications of hearing loss? Is there a criteria for how often you should have your hearing tested?

• Get a baseline test done sometime after you’re 21.
• If your hearing is healthy, get hearing assessments every three years.
• If you demonstrate symptoms of hearing loss, get it checked right away and then annually after that.

Regular assessments can help you identify hearing loss before any warnings appear. The sooner you seek treatment, the better you’ll be able to preserve your hearing over time. This means you should probably turn your TV down and set up a hearing test.