How to Tell if You Need a Hearing Test

Headaches or eyestrain can be signs that you need to have your eyes examined. But how do you know if you need a hearing test? Is there a way to tell if you have hearing loss?

Most people get a hearing tested at the urging of family and friends. Hearing loss occurs so gradually that you don’t realize it and the average for living with undiagnosed hearing loss is seven years. If you suspect you need a hearing test, you probably do.

Signs you have hearing loss

Look over this list. How many of these situations apply to you? If more than two describe you, it’s time for a hearing test.

• It’s hard for you to hear people when they speak to you from behind
• It’s difficult to follow conversation in small groups
• Understanding speech is hard with background noise present
• It sounds like people mumble instead of speaking clearly
• It is hard to hear the television
• Family and friends complain that you play the TV too loudly
• You frequently ask people to repeat themselves
• Understanding a whisper takes concentration
• You can’t hear birds chirping
• You don’t hear your phone or doorbell ring
• You can hear better if people look at you when they speak
• Communicating in a crowd is stressful
• You avoid social situations
• It’s difficult to have a conversation on the phone

If friends and family say you need to get your hearing tested, then its time. Pick up the phone and schedule a professional hearing test with an audiologist.

Professional hearing tests

The audiologist is the medical professional you need for a hearing test. They have been rigorously trained, certified, and licensed to evaluate your hearing. The audiologist will determine if you have hearing loss, the cause of your hearing loss, and the recommend the best technology to help you make the most of your remaining hearing.

If the hearing test shows you have hearing loss, you aren’t alone. About 48 million people in the United States have hearing loss and one in three people over the age of 65 experience hearing loss.

There is no reason to live with hearing loss. If you suspect you need a hearing test, make an appointment with the audiologist today.