The ability to hear is important to us on so many levels. On a basic survival level, we learn about the world around us through sounds, and we can hear dangers as they approach. The sound of a train coming down the line will make you stand further away from the edge of the platform edge in the train station for example. On an emotional level, there will be sounds that bring us joy and comfort such as our favourite band or the voice of your child. Losing your hearing may mean losing all of these vital things from your life.
But when it comes to our hearing we don’t really stop and worry about it all that much. Very often we just write it off as being something that will affect older people, and if you are not in that age bracket yet, then it doesn’t apply to you. Unfortunately, that is not true and hearing loss is something that can affect anybody at any age of their life.
For that reason, it is important that you should take care of your hearing and get it tested every once in a while to make sure you are not experiencing the start of hearing loss.
Getting Your Hearing Tested
Getting your hearing tested is quite straight forward. Make an appointment with your local audiologist. In your appointment, you will be asked a series of questions about your life and health. If you have had any periods of illness or accidents, then the audiologist may want to know more about these especially if they could have impacted your hearing health.
You will then complete a short exercise where you will be asked to indicate when you hear any sounds. This will let the audiologist know if you are experiencing any form of hearing loss at all.
Following this, if any treatment or the use of a hearing aid is needed, the audiologist will talk you through this. If you need a hearing aid, they will let you know all about the options that are available and you can learn more about the types of hearing aid that is available to suit your needs.
Taking Care Of Your Hearing
There are many preventative steps that you can take to ensure you do not develop any hearing problems. While sometimes it is impossible to avoid some things, it is possible to eliminate the worries around other causes.
For example, when listening to music through headphones, do not turn the volume up all the way. On modern devices, there is often a warning that will trigger to let you know that you are passing the safe limit. Keep it below this volume.
If you work in a noisy environment, wear ear protectors. Your employer should provide you this equipment.
If you get an ear infection, visit your doctor and take antibiotics to clear it up quickly. If you are experiencing a wax build-up ever, ask your doctor about ways to remove this.
