Healthy hearing is essential to our overall physical, mental and social well-being. We rely on our ears to communicate with friends and family, stay alert to safety information, listen to our favorite music and more. Even with all they do for us, it can be easy to let hearing healthcare slip through the cracks. One essential aspect of caring for your hearing is regular hearing testing.
Why Should You Get Your Hearing Tested?
Many people haven’t had their hearing tested since grade school. While infrequent testing is common, hearing tests are vital to caring for your hearing health. Regularly scheduled hearing tests give your provider the opportunity to measure your hearing health or loss over time, allowing for earlier treatment when necessary.
How Often Should You Get Your Hearing Tested?
Testing frequency varies based on your hearing needs and age:
- Patients over 60 should have hearing check-ups at least once a year.
- Patients under 60 should have hearing check-ups at least once every three to five years.
Approximately 15% of U.S. adults report some degree of hearing loss. If you begin experiencing signs of hearing loss, regardless of the time of your last test, schedule a hearing test as soon as possible. Common signs of hearing loss include:
- Asking others to repeat themselves frequently
- Often feeling that others are mumbling
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Trouble following a conversation, especially when on the phone or in a noisy environment like Friday night dinner at Pete’s Restaurant and Brewhouse
- Trouble hearing children or other high-pitched sounds
What Happens During a Hearing Test?
During your hearing test you will sit in a soundproof room, wearing headphones or earplugs. Your hearing specialist will play a series of noises at different volumes and pitches through one ear at a time. When you hear a sound, you will press a button. The hearing specialist will record which sounds you did and didn’t hear on an audiogram (hearing loss pattern chart). If you have hearing loss, your provider will use the audiogram to guide your treatment.
Scheduling regular hearing tests is one of the best things you can do to care for your hearing health and prevent the adverse effects of untreated hearing loss. Contact Audiology Associates of Redding today to schedule your hearing test with one of our specialists.