Did you know that October is Audiology Awareness Month? This month is all about raising awareness on how to protect your hearing as well as prioritizing your general hearing health.
Learning preventative measures, like reducing your exposure to loud noise via the use of hearing protection devices like earplugs and earmuffs, is essential to better hearing health. However, it’s equally important to recognize the early signs of hearing loss and seek treatment as soon as possible.
How to Know if You Have Hearing Loss?
You might think that if you have hearing loss, it will be evident to everyone, especially you. However, that is often not the case. Most cases of hearing loss come on gradually and progress over the years. In fact, people with hearing loss wait an average of seven years before seeking treatment.
Knowing the early signs and being proactive about seeking treatment can be essential to your hearing health. If you experience any of the following, schedule an appointment for a hearing test:
- Asking people to repeat themselves frequently.
- Struggling to hear in busy environments with multiple people talking at once, like parties or when dining out at Last Resort Grill.
- Thinking people are often mumbling.
- Needing to turn the volume on TV or radio up louder than before.
- Have difficulty talking on the phone.
- Having family or friends comment on your hearing.
Surprising Benefits of Hearing Loss Treatment
If the results of your hearing loss show that you have permanent hearing loss, your audiologist will likely recommend hearing aids. They will work with you to find a pair that not only amplifies the sounds you need it to but that fits with your style, comfort level and lifestyle as well.
The result won’t just be better hearing but benefits to many other areas of your life as well. Compared to people who leave their hearing loss untreated, hearing aids can help you:
- Lower your risk of balance issues and falls.
- Improve your focus at work or school.
- Feel more confident in social situations.
- Strengthen your relationships with your loved ones and form new connections.
- Improve your mental health and lower your levels of anxiety and depression related to hearing loss.
- Increase your safety and your ability to navigate surroundings independently.
- Reduce mental fatigue and have more energy to spend on the activities you enjoy.
To learn more about how treating hearing loss can help you, call the experts at Georgia Hearing Center at ENT of Athens today.