People are becoming self-reliant more than ever before. Want to fix up your car? You can learn how to do that by watching a YouTube video. Is your sink clogged? YouTube video. Attempting to learn cursive writing? YouTube… look, you get the point.
Anything you want to learn, you can find, and there’s great potential to teach and train yourself on the Internet. Does that mean you’ll never need an expert ever again?
Not always. Hearing aids are a good example. Let’s imagine that you develop a need for these beneficial little devices. Does that mean you should just drive up to the local pharmacy and get a set of over-the-counter hearing aids? It sounds fairly effortless (and gives you the illusion of self-sufficiency), but there are a few substantial drawbacks. As a matter of fact, going to see a hearing specialist for hearing aids can help make your hearing aids more reliable and more comfortable.
Hearing loss symptoms
You might think that hearing loss symptoms are fairly self-evident. Things get harder to hear, right? While that might sometimes be the case, in other situations the symptoms can be less obvious. In many situations, we don’t know what to watch out for and we miss the symptoms of hearing loss.
Some of the most common symptoms of hearing loss include the following:
- Needing people to repeat what they said: You’re frequently needing people to repeat what they said. Even if you feel like people are talking quietly, it’s actually hearing loss that’s the issue. If you begin to encounter a great many people who “mumble,” it might be your ears that are the issue.
- Difficulty hearing conversations in loud places: Do you have a difficult time keeping up with discussions when you go out to eat with friends or family? You should definitely pay attention if you notice this symptom because it’s a fairly strong sign of hearing loss.
- Exhaustion and headaches: Your brain frequently has to work overtime as it struggles to process sound. It’s like you’re continuously squinting with your ears as your brain works overtime attempting to process sound. This can trigger chronic headaches and exhaustion.
- The persistent need to crank the volume up: Are you always turning up the volume on your television? Well, that’s an indicator of hearing loss. This one is often missed because it progresses slowly over a long period of time.
Naturally, these symptoms are not necessarily the only symptoms of hearing loss. Everybody’s experience will be a bit different. But if you are noticing any of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to visit us to get a diagnosis.
Can a diagnosis be helpful?
So, you are realizing that you can’t hear as well as you used to. Why not just go to the store and buy an over-the-counter hearing aid? Well, that would be kind of like buying some corrective glasses without knowing your prescription. It may work sometimes. But understanding more about your condition is definitely essential.
Everyone’s experience of hearing loss is unique and complex. It’s not as if the volume in your ear is simply turned down. Actually, individuals tend to lose their hearing in specific frequency ranges as the stereocilia in the ear become damaged.
And most people don’t even notice it. Compensating for these types of changes is something that the brain is quite good at. That’s why a hearing test is often essential. This screening process can help you expose hearing loss you may not even recognize you have. You’ll also have the opportunity to correctly diagnose which frequencies tend to be fading the quickest (and be better able to manage your symptoms because of this.)
Advantages of going to a hearing specialist
Matching your hearing needs to the available selection on the shelf will be something you’ll have to do by yourself if you decide on over-the-counter hearing aids.
But your hearing aids can be calibrated to your specific hearing needs if you go to 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:
- Adjusting your hearing aid more successfully is also something your hearing specialist can also help you with. This is crucial to a good experience with your devices.
- Your hearing specialist will help you comprehend how to get the most out of your hearing aids if you’re having trouble understanding how to best use them.
- The ability to help you personalize the overall fit of your hearing aid, ensuring your devices are comfortable and work properly.
- Your hearing specialist can help you set up the necessary maintenance for your hearing aid, ensuring that your devices last for as long as possible.
Even if you get lucky enough to select the best hearing aids for you, if don’t have the advantage of a hearing specialist, your hearing experience will most likely be less than optimal.
Additionally, hearing specialists will be able to help you control your hearing loss symptoms. Losing touch with family and friends because of hearing loss will be a lot less likely if you take the correct approach. Those connections will be maintained. And that can be exceedingly important.
Not everything has to be DIY
Getting help with your hearing aid doesn’t mean you are somehow less self-sufficient. Quite the opposite, actually. The correct hearing aid can improve your independence and self-sufficiency.
Diagnosing your hearing loss, controlling your symptoms, and picking out the right hearing aids are all things that your hearing specialist will help you do.
So call us so that we can help you address your hearing loss.
