You know what it’s like to attempt to ignore a toothache? They can be pretty rough. At some point, you’re unquestionably pleading to go to the dentist. The same thing takes place when your eyesight begins to blur. When you have problems reading street signs, you’ll probably schedule a consultation with an ophthalmologist. But the issue is, when your hearing begins to go you may not show such urgency.
This would probably be an oversight. Untreated hearing loss can be responsible for significant health issues (especially mental problems). Of course, you can only neglect your diminishing hearing if you’re actually aware of it. And that’s problem number two.
Indications You Could Have Hearing Loss
We tend to take our hearing for granted. A high volume music festival? No worry. Blasting ear pods? That’s just how you prefer your podcasts. But each of those choices, especially over time, will have a significant impact on your general hearing.
Regrettably, those impacts might be difficult to notice. Hearing loss can creep up on you gradually, with symptoms that progress so gradually as to be basically invisible. So you should take some time to learn some primary red flags (and to be certain you don’t neglect them):
- You feel an unexplained sense of exhaustion or have excessive difficulty falling asleep at night
- You consistently blow the speakers in your earpods because you need the volume up too loud
- You usually have to crank up the volume on your devices
- It’s hard to follow conversations in noisy or crowded surroundings
- When you listen to everyday speech, you have an especially difficult time hearing consonants
- Voices of those around you (friends, family, co-workers) sounds dull or distorted
- Your short term memory tends to suddenly fail sometimes
- You find yourself asking individuals around you to repeat what they said frequently
These signs, red flags, or warnings are all fairly well known. If your hearing loss comes on especially gradually, your brain will immediately begin to compensate for any hearing loss that develops, making you rather unaware, at first, to your symptoms. That’s the reason why you should schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional because these warning symptoms should be taken seriously.
If You Neglect Your Hearing Loss, What’s Going Happen?
Some people are, certainly, obstinate. Or the idea of wearing hearing aids is simply too unwelcome. They assume that wearing hearing aids makes them look old. But in actuality, most contemporary hearing aids are virtually unseen (and it’s helpful when you can hear and take part in conversations).
Still, if you neglect hearing loss it could lead to several issues:
- You could cause your hearing to worsen: If you don’t utilize hearing aids or increased hearing protection, You’ll keep turning up your devices. Or you’ll keep intending to rock concerts without any earplugs. Which means you’ll continue doing damage to your ears and your hearing will almost definitely continue to decline because of it.
- Your relationships could fray: There’s something that occurs when you have a hard time comprehending your family and friends: you give up talking to them. You stop saying hi, you stop checking in, you distance yourself. Some of those relationships will be damaged, particularly if the issue is hearing loss that you have kept secret (and not some unexpressed animosity).
- Depression and cognitive decline could result: As your relationships falter and going out becomes more challenging, you might start to notice symptoms of depression. You may also start to experience some mental decline without the auditory stimulation your brain is used to, your neural physiology begins to experience certain changes. This can bring about long term cognitive challenges if your hearing loss isn’t dealt with.
Hearing Loss Shouldn’t be Ignored
Later on, clearly, bigger and more substantial problems can be brought about by hearing loss. Conversely, your quality of life can be substantially improved by acknowledging and treating your hearing loss. When you hear better, your relationships improve and your every day life seems more full. And increasing your awareness, either by consulting a hearing specialist or downloading a noise-monitoring app, can improve your complete hearing health.
You definitely shouldn’t ignore the health problem of hearing loss. A happier life starts when you find the correct treatment. Deal with your hearing loss before it gets too severe to ignore.