Hearing loss can be a scary thing to experience, especially if you have no family history of it. You might be left with a lot of questions and have fears about the future.
With the right care, hearing loss doesn’t have to be scary.
Seek support from both professionals as well as friends and family. You may have to make some adjustments to make life a little easier. The first step is seeking help.
What to do if you experience hearing loss
It’s really important to seek advice from a professional. If you believe your hearing has reduced gradually, then your GP is a good person to talk to. If there’s been a sudden onset, then you’re better off speaking to NHS so they can guide you on your next move.
Some hearing loss can get better on its own, depending on what has caused it and why it has happened. Other types of hearing loss may be permanent, but hearings aids might provide a solution to making the most of the remaining hearing. In the case of age-related hearing loss, many types of hearing aids that are rechargeable are available.
Your GP is likely to examine the ears and recommend you to move on to more specialised assessment.
A hearing assessment
When it comes to hearing assessments, you might prefer to go to a private clinic like the London Hearing Clinic to speed up receiving any tests and treatment. At this clinic a specialist from the Audiology Team will perform diagnostic testing, and hearing aid fitting if necessary.
How to spot hearing loss
Hearing loss may have a slow onset, making it difficult to put your finger on when it started and whether it is getting worse. Common signs include:
- Difficulty understanding what people around you are saying, misunderstanding what is said or finding you can’t hear them properly and frequently needing things repeating.
- Hearing might feel more difficult in noisy places.
- Others may comment on how loud you have the TV or listen to music (you might not notice the high volume setting).
- You might have to concentrate harder when people are speaking to you, finding that you rely on being able to see their mouths move in order to fully understand what they’re saying.
Preventing hearing loss
Not all hearing loss can be prevented, some hearing loss can be caused by infection, injury, being exposed to lots of noise over a long period of time, medicines or ageing. That said, there are certain types of hearing loss that can be prevented by making some small lifestyle adjustments.
- Avoid listening to loud music or having your TV volume turned up high.
- Use noise cancelling headphones instead of simply turning up the volume to drown out surrounding sounds.
- Wear ear defenders in noisy environments such as loud workplaces or music concerts. If you are a musician, special earplugs are available which let in some noise but reduce the overall volume.
- Do not insert anything into your ears as this can cause damage or cause earwax to become impacted. This includes cotton buds, fingers, cotton wool, tissue or any ear tools you can buy on the internet that have not been recommended by a medical specialist.