People are becoming self-reliant more than ever before. Want to remodel your kitchen? Just watch that YouTube video. Is your sink clogged? Again with the YouTube. Trying to learn cursive writing? YouTube… look, you get the point.
You can find any information you may want to learn and self-learning has never been more available. Does that mean you’ll never need an expert ever again?
Well, not necessarily. Hearing aids are a practical example. Let’s imagine that you develop a need for these useful little devices. Does that mean you should just drive up to the local pharmacy and pick up a set of over-the-counter hearing aids? It sounds nice and easy (and gives you the illusion of self-sufficiency), but there are some considerable drawbacks. In fact, consulting a hearing specialist for hearing aids can help make your hearing aids more effective and more comfortable.
What are the symptoms of hearing loss?
The symptoms of hearing loss might seem straightforward, even obvious. Things get harder to hear, right? Well, yes, but the symptoms of hearing loss can be much more diverse, and far less evident. In many situations, we are unaware of what to watch out for and we miss the symptoms of hearing loss.
Some of the most prevalent symptoms of hearing loss include the following:
- The persistent need to crank the volume up: Is your television volume constantly going up? Well, that’s a sign of hearing loss. This is one of the more obvious ones, but it tends to develop so gradually that it’s frequently missed.
- Having a difficult time hearing when it’s noisy: When you’re out at a nice restaurant with friends and family, you have a difficult time following along with conversations. This is usually a pretty dependable indication that some degree of hearing loss may be happening.
- Requesting that people repeat themselves: You may often ask people to repeat themselves. Even if it seems like people are talking quietly, it’s actually hearing loss that’s the problem. You should consider whether it’s a problem with your ears if lots of individuals start to seem like their “mumbling”.
- Headaches and exhaustion: Your brain frequently has to work overtime as it struggles to process sound. It needs to work much harder to process information, it’s like squinting constantly, but with your ears. Fatigue and chronic headaches can be the consequence.
Obviously, there are other symptoms of hearing loss besides these. Everyone’s experience will be somewhat different. But you should certainly come see us for an assessment if you are detecting any of these symptoms.
Why is a diagnosis helpful?
So, you have hearing loss symptoms. Maybe you should go out to your local box-store and buy an over-the-counter hearing aid. Well, that would be sort of like buying some corrective glasses without determining your prescription. It may work sometimes. But understanding more about your condition is definitely indispensable.
Everyone’s experience of hearing loss is unique and complex. It’s not as though somebody simply turns the volume knob in your ear. Instead, as stereocilia in your ear get damaged, you usually lose your hearing in parts at a time, that is, you usually lose the ability to hear high-frequency or low-frequency sounds first.
And it often goes unnoticed. The brain is very good at compensating for these things. That’s why a hearing exam is typically required. This screening process can help you expose hearing loss you may not even realize you have. This will also help you understand which frequencies you’re beginning to lose (and be better capable of managing your symptoms because of this.)
Visiting a hearing specialist has its advantages
When you go and purchase a hearing aid off the shelf, you’ll be doing your best to match what’s available on the shelf with what you need.
But your hearing aids can be fine-tuned to your particular hearing needs if you consult with a hearing specialist. Your hearing specialist can help you pick the best device for your symptoms and then customize that device specifically for the frequency you need assistance with.
Here are some other advantages to seeing a hearing specialist:
- Certainty, that your device will be comfortable by getting a custom fitting.
- Programing your hearing aid more successfully is also something your hearing specialist can also help you with. So that you can get the best experience from your hearing aid, this is essential.
- When you have problems using or comprehending how to use your hearing aid, your hearing specialist can help walk you through the process and be certain that you understand how to get the most out of your devices.
- Your hearing specialist can help you set up the necessary maintenance for your hearing aid, making sure that your devices last for as long as possible.
Without the advantage of a hearing specialist, your hearing aid experience will most likely be less optimal, even if you do happen to select the best possible over-the-counter hearing aid for your symptoms.
You will also be better capable of managing your hearing loss symptoms with the help of a hearing specialist. Feeling isolated from family and friends due to hearing loss will be a great deal less likely if you take the correct approach. You’ll be able to maintain those connections. And for the majority of people, that’s one of the most important parts of life.
Everything doesn’t always have to be DIY
Getting help with your hearing aid doesn’t mean you are in some way less self-sufficient. As a matter of fact, it’s actually the opposite. Your self-sufficiency and independence will be enhanced by using the correct hearing aids.
A hearing specialist can help you diagnose your hearing loss, regulate your symptoms, and pick out the correct device for your requirements.
So call us so that we can help you address your hearing loss.