Here’s Why You Should Get Your Hearing Checked

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Abstract

hearing.</p><h2 id="2454">Employment</h2><p id="4a37">Hearing difficulties in the workplace can cause issues with coworkers and clients alike. An employee may appear to be disengaged, rude, or even downright contentious when in truth, he or she simply can’t clearly hear what’s being asked. One study estimates that severe to profound hearing loss costs <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-technology-assessment-in-health-care/article/societal-costs-of-severe-to-profound-hearing-loss-in-the-united-states/B00452EAF71615AC042B2AED6767CCDF">as much as $297,000</a> over the lifetime of the worker due to lost productivity.</p><h2 id="2736">Safety</h2><p id="62a1">Being aware of the environment around us is a large part of how we keep ourselves safe. The little sounds that warn of potential danger in your environment may fly just under the radar if you have hearing loss — the sound of someone approaching from behind as you walk down the street, the sound of a car driving towards you, the sound of a pot overflowing on the stove. Missing little things such as these can have a long-term impact on your physical well-being.</p><h2 id="0933">Other concerns</h2><p id="1d31">Children with undiagnosed hearing loss are at risk for delays in speech and difficulties in school, as well as being “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4007124/">at increased risk of physical, social, emotional, and sexual abuse</a>.” Adults with hearing loss can suffer from depression as a result of isolation, as well as earlier onset of dementia and cognitive decline.</p><figure id="d326"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*_P-gs0f0IOz_PBwq"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@sand90?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Damian Piasek</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><p id="b0b4">My own audiogram looks like two squiggly lines drawn by a child; one ear is almost entirely between 70 and 40 decibels while the other doesn’t dip quite so

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low. I had been suffering for years, but I didn’t even know the extent of my hearing loss. I had become more and more isolated within my family unit over time, and meeting in large groups of people or even at loud restaurants was enough to cause anxiety. I wish I would have realized sooner that the life I was living was simply not healthy, and there was a solution.</p><p id="eef5">I was 35 when I started wearing hearing aids for the first time. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you don’t have hearing loss.</p><p id="246d">The bottom line: you should get your hearing checked. Maybe not every year, maybe not even every other year, but at least every few years. If you’re still not convinced, take <a href="https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/do-you-need-hearing-test-quiz">this quiz</a> from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Even if you aren’t experiencing hearing loss, it’s good to have a set of baseline numbers so that changes over time can be pinpointed.</p><p id="5284">I’ve had hearing aids for two years now, and I can’t imagine my life without them. They are a lifeline between me and other human beings, a connection that opens the lines of communication that I didn’t even realize were closed. They have been well worth the investment. And, miraculously, I haven’t lost or broken one of them yet!</p><p id="6b60">This is the end of my short series, but if you want to know more about what it’s like to wear hearing aids I’d be happy to answer any questions. I’m not selling anything, but I do believe that it is so important to hear correctly, and even though I clearly have poor hearing I struggled for a while before recognizing the benefits of wearing hearing aids. You can read <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-i-ended-up-with-hearing-aids-at-35-802439606c39">Part I</a> and <a href="https://readmedium.com/what-did-you-say-aaf6db5027c">Part II</a> to learn more about what my life was like before I got hearing aids and what my first day wearing them was like.</p><p id="bf9a">Now, go call your audiologist for a hearing test!</p></article></body>

Even if you think everything is fine

The World Health Organization estimates that over 5% of the world’s population has disabling hearing loss, and that number is projected to increase to 10% by 2050.

Disabling hearing loss is defined as greater than 40 decibels for adults and 30 decibels for children. However, even if your hearing loss is not consistent across the frequencies or you happen to have a “good ear” as I do, the difficulties posed by hearing loss can still be crippling.

If you think this number applies only to senior citizens, think again —2% of adults ages 45 to 54 have disabling hearing loss, and about 28.8 million adults in the United States could benefit from wearing hearing aids.

Because hearing loss can come on slowly, you may not even realize that your hearing is worsening. The subtle changes are difficult to pick out, especially since it’s something you’ve most likely taken for granted your entire life.

Social difficulties

We all have moments where we miss a few words in a conversation or have to ask someone to repeat themselves. If those moments become more frequent, many of us react by becoming frustrated and embarrassed about having to ask the speaker to repeat themselves. This can lead to social isolation even to the point of being physically present but not participating in the conversation due to difficulties hearing.

Employment

Hearing difficulties in the workplace can cause issues with coworkers and clients alike. An employee may appear to be disengaged, rude, or even downright contentious when in truth, he or she simply can’t clearly hear what’s being asked. One study estimates that severe to profound hearing loss costs as much as $297,000 over the lifetime of the worker due to lost productivity.

Safety

Being aware of the environment around us is a large part of how we keep ourselves safe. The little sounds that warn of potential danger in your environment may fly just under the radar if you have hearing loss — the sound of someone approaching from behind as you walk down the street, the sound of a car driving towards you, the sound of a pot overflowing on the stove. Missing little things such as these can have a long-term impact on your physical well-being.

Other concerns

Children with undiagnosed hearing loss are at risk for delays in speech and difficulties in school, as well as being “at increased risk of physical, social, emotional, and sexual abuse.” Adults with hearing loss can suffer from depression as a result of isolation, as well as earlier onset of dementia and cognitive decline.

My own audiogram looks like two squiggly lines drawn by a child; one ear is almost entirely between 70 and 40 decibels while the other doesn’t dip quite so low. I had been suffering for years, but I didn’t even know the extent of my hearing loss. I had become more and more isolated within my family unit over time, and meeting in large groups of people or even at loud restaurants was enough to cause anxiety. I wish I would have realized sooner that the life I was living was simply not healthy, and there was a solution.

I was 35 when I started wearing hearing aids for the first time. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you don’t have hearing loss.

The bottom line: you should get your hearing checked. Maybe not every year, maybe not even every other year, but at least every few years. If you’re still not convinced, take this quiz from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Even if you aren’t experiencing hearing loss, it’s good to have a set of baseline numbers so that changes over time can be pinpointed.

I’ve had hearing aids for two years now, and I can’t imagine my life without them. They are a lifeline between me and other human beings, a connection that opens the lines of communication that I didn’t even realize were closed. They have been well worth the investment. And, miraculously, I haven’t lost or broken one of them yet!

This is the end of my short series, but if you want to know more about what it’s like to wear hearing aids I’d be happy to answer any questions. I’m not selling anything, but I do believe that it is so important to hear correctly, and even though I clearly have poor hearing I struggled for a while before recognizing the benefits of wearing hearing aids. You can read Part I and Part II to learn more about what my life was like before I got hearing aids and what my first day wearing them was like.