If you have been experiencing the symptoms of hearing loss, such as finding that you have difficulty understanding speech as easily, or you notice that other people have to tell you to turn down your music or TV, even if it sounds at an average level to you, then it’s important to take action. The risks of undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss are significant and can affect your quality of life even more than changes to your hearing health, alone. But what should you do about it?
Learn the truth of the matter
Do not simply assume that your hearing health is okay, or, for that matter, that you might have some mild hearing loss, but you don’t need to do anything about it. It’s always worth having a complete picture of your hearing health, and a hearing test can help you do just that. Aside from giving you a conclusive diagnosis of hearing loss, a hearing test may also be able to uncover potential causes, as well as risk factors that might play a role in it, such as working in environments with excessive noise without wearing the appropriate hearing protection. Get to the bottom of your suspicions, and you can then start talking about what actions you should take to address it.
OTC hearing aids are a good way to test out hearing aids and learn if you have hearing loss because they offer an accessible and affordable first step in addressing your hearing health. These devices can be purchased without a prescription, allowing you to try them out in the comfort of your own home and in various listening environments. This trial can help you determine if hearing aids can improve your hearing and quality of life, and whether you need further professional evaluation. It’s a good idea to look at an audiologist’s guide to OTC hearing aids to learn more about them. By using OTC hearing aids, you can gain valuable insights into your hearing capabilities and make more informed decisions about your hearing health.
Learning to live with hearing loss
If you have been diagnosed with hearing loss, then the first thing a hearing health professional is likely to do is recommend that you use hearing aids. The quality of life impact of hearing aids should not be underestimated, they can greatly help people live more independently and more connected to the world that they are in. Your hearing health professional can also provide plenty of advice on living well with hearing loss. This can include things such as making changes to the home to better suit it to your needs, and teaching your loved ones and coworkers about how to communicate more effectively with you.
Dealing with the mental health impact
Even if you are getting the appropriate treatment for your hearing loss, it can have something of an impact on your mental and emotional health. This impact would be several times more severe if you were living with undiagnosed and untreated but, still, it’s important to address that learning you have hearing loss can cause certain emotions. It can result in some fear for the future, leading to anxiety and stress, while some people may feel depressed, even mourning their previous hearing health. Taking steps to reduce your anxieties, such as practicing mindfulness techniques can help you rebalance and get some perspective. However, you shouldn’t avoid reaching out to a mental health professional if those feelings are particularly severe.
Hearing loss can be an intimidating subject to start thinking about, but there is help out there to ensure that you can live well with it. Keep the above tips in mind and don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional for advice at any point.
