Have you ever attempted to disregard a toothache? They can be quite tough. Before long, you end up having no alternative but to consult a dentist. The same thing occurs when your eyesight starts to lose focus. You’ll probably call an ophthalmologist when you begin to have difficulty reading street signs. The trouble is, you may not show nearly as much urgency when your hearing starts to go.
This would more than likely be an oversight. There are appreciable health issues (particularly mental health problems) that can happen due to untreated hearing loss. Of course, you can only neglect your diminishing hearing if you’re actually aware of it. And that’s problem number two.
Signs You May Have Hearing Loss
We commonly don’t appreciate our hearing. A high volume music event? No big deal.. Blaring ear pods? That’s just how you prefer your podcasts. But your overall hearing will be considerably affected by all of these decisions, especially over time.
Sadly, those impacts might be difficult to notice. The indications of hearing loss can be almost invisible because they creep up so slowly over time. That’s why it’s a smart idea to know some primary red flags (and to deal with them sooner than later):
- You continually blow the speakers in your earpods because you have the volume up too loud
- You feel an unexplained sense of fatigue or have excessive difficulty falling asleep at night
- Distorted or muffled sounding speech from people around you (co-workers, family, friends)
- You keep turning up the volume on your television, car stereo, or your smartphone
- You frequently have to ask individuals to repeat what they said
- When you’re in a crowded noisy setting you have a hard time keeping up with conversations
- Your short term memory seems to suddenly fail sometimes
- When you listen to casual speech, you have an especially tough time hearing consonants
These symptoms, red flags, or warnings are all rather well recognized. At first, you will be somewhat oblivious to your symptoms, especially if they come on gradually, because your brain will immediately start to compensate. That’s why you should schedule an appointment with your hearing care specialist because these warning signs should be taken seriously.
If You Ignore Your Hearing Loss, What’s Going Happen?
Indeed, some people are very obstinate. Or they just don’t favor the idea of wearing a hearing aid. They believe that wearing hearing aids causes them to appear old. But that isn’t really the case (the majority of hearing aids can be very discreet, and being capable of conversing fluently is a boon, too).
Nevertheless, it’s worth discussing what could occur if you ignore your hearing loss:
- Your relationships could fray: When you have a hard time understanding what your friends and relatives are saying, something can change in the relationship: you start having fewer conversations with them. You don’t call to say hi, you don’t keep up with what’s going on with them, you disengage. Some of those relationships will be hurt, especially if the issue is hearing loss that you have kept secret (and not because you’re mad at them).
- You could cause your hearing to worsen: Without a hearing aid or enhanced ear protection, You’ll continue to turn up your devices. Or you’ll keep intending to rock shows without any earplugs. And your hearing will continue diminishing as you keep to do damage to your ears.
- Depression and cognitive decline could result: You may begin to detect signs of depression as your relationships fizzle and going out gets more challenging. You may also start to go through some cognitive decline without the auditory activation your brain is used to, your neural physiology starts to experience specific changes. This can result in long term cognitive problems if your hearing loss isn’t treated.
Don’t Neglect Your Hearing Loss
Surely, neglecting your hearing loss can cause bigger and more significant problems later on. On the other hand, your quality of life can be considerably improved by recognizing and managing your hearing loss. When you hear better, your relationships get better and your every day life seems more full. And your overall health will be enhanced by consulting a hearing specialist or at least downloading a noise monitoring app.
You absolutely shouldn’t neglect the health concern of hearing loss. A happier life begins when you find the correct treatment. Manage your hearing loss before it gets too severe to ignore.
