Have you ever tried to disregard a toothache? It can be very difficult. Eventually, you’re absolutely begging to go see a dentist. The same thing takes place when your eyesight begins to blur. When you have trouble reading street signs, you’ll most likely make a consultation with an ophthalmologist. But the concern is, when your hearing begins to go you might not have as much urgency.
This would more than likely be a mistake. Neglected hearing loss can be responsible for significant health issues (particularly mental problems). Unfortunately, it’s pretty difficult to address your diminishing hearing if you don’t know about it. And that’s problem number two.
Signs You May Have Hearing Loss
We typically don’t appreciate our hearing. A loud concert? No biggie. Blaring ear pods? That’s just how you like your podcasts. But each of those choices, especially in the long run, is going to have a significant affect on your overall hearing.
It can, regrettably, be hard to detect these impacts. The symptoms of hearing loss can be nearly invisible because they creep up so slowly over time. So you should take some time to educate yourself on some primary red flags (and to be certain you don’t neglect them):
- You always need to crank up the volume on your devices
- You encounter sudden problems with short term memory
- When you listen to everyday speech, you have an especially tough time making out consonants
- You have a hard time falling asleep at night and feel exhausted for no reason
- Distorted or muffled sounding speech from individuals near you (family, co-workers, friends)
- You regularly need to ask individuals to repeat what they said
- You can’t keep a set of earbuds because you keep blowing the speakers
- It’s hard to follow conversations in noisy or crowded settings
These signs, red flags, or warnings are all pretty well recognized. At first, you will be somewhat oblivious to your symptoms, particularly if they come on slowly, because your brain will instantly start to compensate. That’s the reason why you should schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional because these warning signs should be taken seriously.
If You Ignore Your Hearing Loss, What Will Happen?
Indeed, some individuals are very stubborn. Or the idea of wearing hearing aids is just too unwelcome. They have this fear that wearing a hearing aid is some sort of immediate marker for old age (as though continuously asking somebody to speak louder is a sign of never ending youth). But that isn’t really the case (most hearing aids can be quite discreet, and being capable of conversing fluently is a benefit, also).
Still, if you neglect hearing loss it may lead to several issues:
- Your hearing may get worse: Without a hearing aid or enhanced hearing protection, you’ll keep cranking the volume on your television up. Or you’ll keep intending to rock shows without any earplugs. Which means you’ll keep doing harm to your ears and your hearing will almost certainly keep declining because of it.
- Your relationships could diminish: There’s something that happens when you have a difficult time understanding your friends and relatives: you start having fewer conversations with them. You quit saying hi, you quit checking in, you distance yourself. And that can hurt some of those relationships, particularly if no one has any idea that the underlying cause is hearing loss (and not some unspoken animosity).
- You could go through depression and cognitive decline: As your relationships falter and going out becomes more challenging, you might begin to notice symptoms of depression. You may also begin to experience some mental decline if your brain doesn’t receive the auditory stimulation that it’s used to, certain changes begin to take place within your neural physiology. If your hearing loss isn’t dealt with, it can result in longterm cognitive concerns.
Don’t Neglect Your Hearing Loss
Unmistakably, ignoring your hearing loss can cause bigger and more significant problems later on. But the opposite is true: recognizing and dealing with your hearing loss can improve your quality of life considerably. When you hear better, your relationships improve and your daily life seems more full. And increasing your awareness, either by seeing a hearing specialist or downloading a noise-monitoring app, can improve your overall hearing health.
You definitely shouldn’t ignore the health problem of hearing loss. A happier life starts when you find the correct treatment. Don’t wait until the proverbial toothache becomes too painful to ignore.