You know what it’s like to try to ignore a toothache? It can be pretty difficult. Eventually, you’re absolutely begging to go to the dentist. The same thing occurs when your eyesight begins to lose focus. You’ll most likely call an ophthalmologist when you begin to have difficulty reading street signs. But the problem is, when your hearing begins to go you may not have as much urgency.
And that could be an oversight. Neglected hearing loss can be responsible for considerable health concerns (especially mental problems). Obviously, you can only neglect your diminishing hearing if you’re actually aware of it. And that’s difficulty number two.
Signs You May Have Hearing Loss
We typically don’t appreciate our hearing. A high volume music festival? No big deal.. Blaring ear pods? You like to listen to your podcasts this way. But all of those choices, particularly in the long run, will have a significant impact on your general hearing.
It can, unfortunately, be hard to detect these impacts. The indications of hearing loss can be almost invisible because they sneak up so slowly over time. That’s why it’s a smart idea to be familiar with some basic red flags (and to take care of them sooner than later):
- It’s difficult to follow conversations in noisy or crowded settings
- You find yourself asking those around you to repeat themselves frequently
- You can’t keep a set of earbuds because you keep blowing the speakers
- Voices of those near you (friends, family, co-workers) sounds muffled or distorted
- You feel an inexplicable sense of fatigue or have significant difficulty falling asleep at night
- You usually have to crank up the volume on your devices
- You have a particularly hard time hearing consonants when listening to casual speech
- You experience unexpected problems with short term memory
It’s fairly well known what these red flags and symptoms mean. If your hearing loss comes on particularly slowly, your brain will immediately begin to compensate for any hearing loss that occurs, making you somewhat oblivious, at first, to your symptoms. That’s the reason why you should make an appointment with your hearing care professional because these warning symptoms should be taken seriously.
What Going to Happen if You Ignore Your Hearing Loss?
Indeed, some people are very obstinate. Or they just don’t favor the thought of wearing a hearing aid. They believe that wearing hearing aids makes them look old. But that’s not actually the case (the majority of hearing aids can be quite discreet, and being capable of conversing fluently is a benefit, also).
Nevertheless, it’s worth discussing what could take place if you ignore your hearing loss:
- Your hearing may get worse: If you don’t use hearing aids or enhanced ear protection, you’ll keep turning the volume on your television up. Or you won’t utilize earplugs when you attend rock concerts. And your hearing will continue diminishing as you keep doing harm to your ears.
- Your relationships could diminish: When you have a tough time understanding what your family and friends are saying, something can change in the relationship: you start having fewer interactions with them. You don’t call to say hi, you don’t keep up with what’s going on with them, you disengage. Some of those relationships will be ruined, especially if the issue is hearing loss that you have kept secret (and not some unexpressed animosity).
- Depression and cognitive decline could result: You may begin to detect symptoms of depression as your relationships falter and going out gets more challenging. You may also begin to go through some cognitive decline without the auditory activation your brain is used to, certain changes start to take place in your neural physiology. If your hearing loss isn’t addressed, it can lead to longterm cognitive concerns.
Don’t Neglect Your Hearing Loss
Down the road, clearly, bigger and more significant issues can be triggered by hearing loss. On the other hand, your quality of life can be substantially improved by acknowledging and managing your hearing loss. Your every day life is more full and your relationships get better when you begin to hear better. And your general health will be improved by seeing a hearing specialist or at least downloading a noise monitoring app.
Hearing loss is definitely a health condition you shouldn’t ignore. The sooner you find the correct treatment, the happier you’ll be. Deal with your hearing loss before it gets too severe to ignore.
