Hearing Loss Education
Hearing loss is incredibly common, affecting over 48 million Americans. Hearing loss is the inability to hear sound in one or both ears. When left untreated, hearing loss can have a negative impact on your overall health and well-being. Hearing loss doesn’t just make the world sound quieter; it prevents your brain from receiving certain sound signals. After time, this can result in cognitive decline and even difficulty with speech comprehension.
The best solution to managing hearing loss is with hearing aids. At All About Hearing, we carry a wide range of hearing aids to help you manage your hearing loss. Our hearing instrument specialists are experts in the different hearing aid technologies and can help you find a device that will allow you to hear better.
How Hearing Affects Your Health
Many people don’t realize that our hearing is connected to our overall health and well-being. Occasionally, hearing loss can be the result of an underlying health condition, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease. Annual visits with your physician will catch any signs of these conditions early. It’s also important to come in for regular hearing screenings as well. We can help you catch any signs of hearing loss early and determine if you would be a good candidate for a hearing aid.
Hearing loss can do more than just affect your ability to hear. It can also affect your ability to effectively communicate with your loved ones. Hearing loss affects your ability to hear and process certain sounds and frequencies. When left untreated, eventually your brain will forget those sounds. This can lead to cognitive decline and even dementia. In order to be proactive about your hearing and your overall health it’s important to manage the signs of hearing loss early with hearing aids. With hearing aids, you will be able to clearly hear the sounds you have been missing, keeping your brain active and healthy.
Signs of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss often occurs gradually, over the course of a few years. For this reason, it can be difficult to recognize the signs of hearing loss. Often times, a family member or close friend will notice the signs of hearing loss before you do. If a loved one has suggested you have your hearing checked, then you most likely have some degree of hearing loss.
Some common signs of hearing loss include:
- You often ask people to repeat themselves.
- It seems like everyone around you mumbles.
- You have a hard time understanding people when there is background noise (i.e., when you are in a restaurant or a crowded environment).
- You feel tired after conversations.
- You have a difficult time hearing the person on the other end of the phone.
- It’s difficult to hear women and children’s voices.
- You turn the TV volume up louder than everyone else.
- You hear a ringing in your ears.
Tinnitus
What is tinnitus? Tinnitus, commonly known as “ringing in the ears,” is when you perceive a sound inside your ears or head when there is no external sound present. People who experience tinnitus often describe it as a ringing, buzzing, beeping, humming, or whooshing sound. Millions of Americans have some degree of tinnitus and it can range from mildly annoying to debilitating.
At All About Hearing, we carry hearing aids that have a special tinnitus masking feature. With this feature, you can play soothing sounds straight through your hearing aids that will help distract your brain from the symptoms of tinnitus. Many of these hearing aids can be controlled through an app on your smartphone so you can be in control of when you need relief from tinnitus.