People tend to ignore the possibility of hearing loss. This isn’t because they don’t believe it’s a real condition. Instead, they ignore it because it happens so slowly and gradually that they might not even realize they’re experiencing hearing loss. Unfortunately, hearing loss affects around one in eight people in the United States in people aged 12 or older. This is a staggering number of people, so why aren’t more of us aware of our own hearing loss?
It’s mainly because we tend to ignore it. Most of us don’t have hearing loss that is serious enough to act on, and there may be situations where we don’t want to wear hearing aids. However, the possibility of you having hearing loss might be higher than you think, hence why it’s extremely important to get an ear examination sooner rather than later.
Hearing loss is permanent, but there are simple ways to prevent it
Unless your hearing loss is caused by something like an ear infection, it’s a good idea to take it seriously because it can’t be reversed.
One of the only ways to treat hearing loss is to speak with a local hearing specialist and request a pair of hearing aids. This will help you slow down the rate of your hearing loss and make it easier for you to pick up sounds. However, it’s worth mentioning that you can actually protect yourself from hearing damage quite easily.
In fact, all it takes is some earplugs or earphones and you’ll be able to shield your ears from permanent damage. By reducing your exposure to noise, you’ll drastically cut down your chances of experiencing hearing loss.
If you work in a loud environment, you’re at a higher risk of developing hearing loss
Aside from age-related hearing loss, exposure to loud sounds is the most common reason for hearing loss. This occurs frequently in people that work in loud environments. This can include musicians that play live on a stage, technical crews at a concert, and even construction workers on a site.
If you work in these kinds of environments, we urge you to consider the importance and ease of protecting your ears. You may want to consider speaking to your manager about ear protection if it’s not already being given to you, and you should go for an appointment with a hearing specialist to see if your ears have already been damaged.
Hearing aids are a common solution for hearing loss, but it takes time to adjust to
It’s surprisingly difficult to get used to a hearing aid. This is because we hear sounds differently when we use a hearing aid and it can often seem louder than usual. As such, you may want to take it easy when you start using hearing aids and practice at home with familiar sounds.
Your hearing specialist will also be able to assist you in adjusting to your hearing aids. It can be a daunting process, but a trained expert will be able to help you quickly get used to them.
