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We often take what we can hear for granted. The sounds of cars passing on the street will help to let us know that a road is not safe to cross, the voice of your partner or someone that you are close to will make you feel safe and comfortable, and your favourite song can spark fond memories of happiness. But what would your world be like if you could not hear so well? How would you get on if you started to lose your hearing?
You may think that hearing loss is not something that you will experience anytime soon. There is a commonly held misconception that people will only start to lose their hearing when they get older. But, this is simply not true, and people of any age can experience hearing loss. Sometimes this is because of illness, or a build-up of wax in the ears, and on other times it is due to damage through exposure to loud noises, or as a result of an accident.
Hearing loss can often occur gradually, and as a result, you may not even notice that it is happening to you until you start to miss lots of sounds from the world around you.
Looking Out For The Signs Of Hearing Loss
There are several different signs that you are experiencing hearing loss. Some common examples of problems that you may face as your hearing starts to deteriorate are that you need to turn the TV up very loud in order to even hear it. If people that you live with keep telling you that the volume is too loud, and you have it set higher than you used to do, then this is a telltale sign that you may have a problem with your hearing.
If you miss parts of conversations or you always need to ask people to repeat what they have said to you, this is a symptom of hearing loss. When you are out in public and you are chatting with friends or family and you cannot hear what the people you are with are saying, this is also a common sign that you are experiencing hearing loss.
If you are experiencing any of these problems then you should make an appointment with an audiologist.
Getting A Hearing Test
When you go to see an audiologist they will ask you a series of general questions about your life and health, this is to see if there might be some causes that are underlying in your hearing loss. Following this, you will be asked to partake in a hearing test that will measure the extent of your ability to hear. This will help the audiologist decide on whether you need a hearing aid.
If it is suggested that you need a hearing aid, don’t worry. Hearing aids are lightweight, comfortable, and don’t stand out at all. You can learn more here about hearing aids and how technology has evolved in recent years.