Have you ever tried to ignore a toothache? They can be pretty tough. Before long, you end up having no choice but to consult a dentist. The same thing happens when your eyesight begins to blur. When you have difficulties reading street signs, you’ll probably make a consultation with an ophthalmologist. The trouble is, you might not show nearly as much urgency when your hearing starts to go.
This would probably be an oversight. Untreated hearing loss can be the reason for significant health problems (specifically mental problems). Naturally, you can only neglect your diminishing hearing if you’re actually aware of it. And there’s the second problem.
Indications You Might Have Hearing Loss
We often take our hearing for granted. A high volume music event? No worry. Blasting ear pods? You prefer to listen to your podcasts this way. But your overall hearing will be significantly affected by all of these choices, particularly in the long run.
Sadly, those impacts might be hard to notice. The indications of hearing loss can be virtually invisible because they creep up so slowly over time. That’s why it’s a smart idea to know some basic red flags (and to make sure you don’t ignore them):
- You encounter unexpected problems with short term memory
- You usually have to turn up the volume on your devices
- Voices of those near you (family, co-workers, friends) sounds dull or distorted
- You can’t maintain a set of earbuds because you keep blowing the speakers
- You feel an unexplained sense of fatigue or have significant difficulty falling asleep at night
- When you listen to casual speech, you have an especially difficult time hearing consonants
- You regularly need to ask individuals to repeat what they said
- It’s challenging to understand conversations in noisy or crowded surroundings
It’s fairly well recognized what these red flags and signs mean. If your loss of hearing comes on particularly slowly, your brain will immediately begin to compensate for any hearing loss that develops, making you somewhat unaware, at first, to your symptoms. That’s why any of these warning signs should be taken seriously, which means you should make an appointment to see your hearing specialist.
If You Neglect Your Hearing Loss, What Will Happen?
Some people are, indeed, obstinate. Or they just don’t favor the concept of wearing a hearing aid. They maintain this fear that wearing a hearing aid is some sort of immediate sign for old age (as if constantly asking people to speak up is a sign of everlasting youth). But that’s not really the situation (most hearing aids can be quite discreet, and being able to converse fluently is a boon, too).
Still, if you neglect hearing loss it could lead to numerous issues:
- You could have tense relationships: There’s something that occurs when you have a hard time understanding your friends and family: you stop talking to them. You quit saying hi, you quit checking in, you distance yourself. Some of those relationships will be ruined, specifically if the issue is hearing loss that you have kept secret (and not some unspoken bitterness).
- You could cause your hearing to worsen: If you don’t utilize hearing aids or increased hearing protection, you’ll keep turning the volume on your television up. Or you’ll keep intending to rock shows without any earplugs. Which means you’ll keep doing damage to your ears and your hearing will almost definitely keep declining because of it.
- Depression and cognitive decline could result: You might begin to discover signs of depression as your relationships fizzle and going out becomes more challenging. You might also start to experience some cognitive decline without the auditory activation your brain is used to, your neural physiology starts to experience certain changes. This can lead to long term cognitive difficulties if your hearing loss isn’t managed.
Hearing Loss Shouldn’t be Ignored
Later on, clearly, bigger and more substantial problems can be caused by hearing loss. On the other hand, your quality of life can be substantially improved by recognizing and managing your hearing loss. Your daily life is more full and your relationships get better when you begin to hear better. And improving your awareness, either by consulting a hearing specialist or downloading a noise-monitoring app, can improve your overall hearing health.
You definitely shouldn’t ignore the health concern of hearing loss. A happier life starts when you find the right treatment. Take care of your hearing loss before it gets too severe to ignore.