Surprisingly, it’s been over 10 years since most individuals have had a hearing test.
One of those people is Harper. She schedules a cleaning and checkup with her dentist every six months and she reports dutifully for her yearly medical test. She even changes her timing belt every 6000 miles. But she always forgets to schedule her hearing exam.
Hearing assessments are important for a variety of reasons, the most prominent of which is that it’s normally challenging for you to discover the earliest symptoms of hearing loss without one. Determining how frequently she should get a hearing test will help Harper keep her ears (and hearing) healthy for as long as possible.
So you should have your hearing tested how often?
It’s disconcerting to think that Harper hasn’t had a hearing test in 10 years. Or we may think it’s perfectly normal. Our reaction will differ depending on how old she is. That’s because we have different recommendations based on age.
- For people over 50: Once annually is the recommended schedule for hearing assessments in people over 50 years old. Hearing loss is more likely to have an affect on your life as you age because the noise damage that has built-up over a lifetime will speed up that impairment. Moreover, as we age we’re more likely to have other health problems that can have an impact on hearing.
- If you are less than fifty years old: It’s generally recommended that you have a hearing test about once every three to ten years. There’s no harm in getting your ears tested more frequently, of course! But once every decade is the bare minimum. If you’ve been exposing yourself to loud concert noise or work in a field with high decibel levels, you should err on the side of caution and get tested more frequently. It’s quick, easy, and painless so why wouldn’t you?
Indications you need to get your hearing checked
Needless to say, your annual (or semi-annual) hearing assessment isn’t the only good time to make an appointment with us. Maybe you start to notice some symptoms of hearing loss. And when they do you need to make an appointment with us for a hearing exam.
A few of the signs that should prompt you to get a hearing exam include:
- Asking people to talk slower or repeat themselves during a conversation.
- Cranking your television or car stereo up to excessively high volumes.
- Sounds get muffled; it begins to sound as though you always have water inside of your ears.
- You’re having a hard time making out conversations when you’re in a noisy setting.
- Having a tough time hearing consonants (in general, consonants are spoken in a higher wavelength than vowels, and it’s those high-frequency sounds that are often the first to go as hearing loss sets in.)
- You suddenly can’t hear out of one ear.
- Phone conversations are getting harder to hear.
When the previously mentioned warning signs begin to add up, it’s a good sign that the perfect time to get a hearing exam is right now. You’ll know what’s happening with your ears as soon as you come in for a test.
What are the advantages of hearing testing?
Harper may be late having her hearing checked for several reasons.
It might have slipped her mind.
Maybe she just doesn’t want to deal with it. But there are concrete benefits to getting your hearing examined per guidelines.
Even if you think your hearing is totally healthy, a hearing exam will help set a baseline reading, which makes deviations in the future easier to identify. You’ll be in a better position to safeguard your hearing if you detect any early hearing loss before it becomes noticeable.
Discovering hearing issues before they produce permanent hearing loss is the precise reason somebody like Harper should get tested regularly. Detecting your hearing loss early by getting your hearing checked when you should will help you keep your ears healthier, longer. If you allow your hearing to go, it can have an affect on your overall health.