According to one recent survey, nearly 30% of people have gone more than ten years without getting a hearing test. Sofia is one of them. She goes to her yearly doctor’s appointments, she visits a dentist every six months, and she gets the oil changed in her car every 3000 miles. But she hasn’t had a hearing exam in a long time.
There are many reasons why it’s essential to get hearing assessments, the most prominent of which is that it’s usually difficult for you to discover the earliest signs of hearing loss if you don’t get one. Sophia will be able to keep her hearing healthy for a lot longer by recognizing how often to get her ears tested.
How Many Times Per Year Should my Hearing be Checked?
We may be alarmed if Sophia hadn’t had a hearing exam in ten years. Or perhaps we don’t think anything of it. Depending on Sophia’s age, reactions could vary. That’s because hearing specialists have different suggestions based on age.
- At least every three years, it’s suggested that you have a hearing test. There’s no harm in having your ears tested more often, of course! But once every three years is the bare minimum. If you are subjected to loud noise regularly or work at a job where noise is common, you should decide to get screened more often. There’s no reason not to get it done, it’s painless and easy.
- If you are over fifty years old: But if you’re over fifty, the recommendation is, you get a hearing exam annually. As you get older, the noise damage you’ve incurred over a lifetime can start to accelerate, which means hearing loss is more likely to begin impacting your life. There are also numerous other variables that can impact your hearing.
If you would like to undergo hearing screenings or tests more frequently, there’s certainly no harm in that, at least in terms of your hearing. Since the last time you had a hearing assessment, you may have new damage you should recognize, so regular hearing exams may be helpful.
You Should Get Your Hearing Checked if You Notice These Signs
Needless to say, your yearly (or semi-annual) hearing test isn’t the only good time to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist. For instance, if you recognize symptoms of hearing loss. And in those circumstances, it’s typically a good idea to promptly contact a hearing professional and schedule a hearing test.
Some of the signs that might prompt you to get a hearing test could include:
- Turning your music to excessively high volumes (if your neighbors start complaining, that’s a good indication you should see a hearing specialist right away).
- It’s typical for loss of hearing in the high pitched register to fail first and since consonants are in a higher pitched register than vowels, they generally fail first.
- Phone interactions are always hard to hear.
- When you’re in a noisy situation, you have trouble hearing conversations.
- Regularly asking people to slow down or repeat themselves during a conversation.
- Your hearing is dull as if there is water in your ears.
A good indication that right now is the best time to get a hearing test is when the warning signs start to add up. The sooner you get your hearing tested, the more frequently you’ll know what’s happening with your ears.
Hearing Exams, What Are The Benefits?
Sophia might be late for her hearing exam for several reasons. Maybe she hasn’t thought about it. It could be that she’s just avoiding dealing with it. But getting your hearing tested on the recommended schedule has concrete advantages.
Even when your hearing is completely healthy, a hearing test can help set a standard reading, which makes variances in the future simpler to detect. If you identify your hearing loss before it becomes obvious, you can protect it better.
The reason for regular hearing testing is that someone like Sofia will be enabled to identify issues before her hearing is diminished permanently. Early diagnosis by a hearing exam can help your hearing stay healthy for a long time. Thinking about the effects of hearing loss on your total health, that’s essential.