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Most people won't notice right away that their hearing ability is diminishing. It often takes years for people to notice symptoms, like having to turn the television up or having to ask people to repeat themselves more often. This is due to the gradual nature of hearing loss. As your hearing continues to get worse, you might end up finding yourself avoiding group situations, loud restaurants and things you typically enjoyed.
Hearing Assessments & Your Overall Health
Hearing loss affects people of all ages and demographics and often happens gradually, so it’s hard to detect until you notice symptoms. Do you suspect hearing loss? Have you noticed that you have a difficult time hearing conversation, particularly in noisy places?
Most adults have had a hearing screening as a newborn, in grade school, but not again after that. It is advised that everyone over the age of 21 get a hearing test in order to have a baseline screen. If you do this, as you age, your doctor will know the best ways to treat any symptoms of hearing loss you experience.
Hearing health history
Before getting screened, your hearing health professional will want to know your hearing health and medical history. There are many causes of hearing loss, so getting a history helps determine if you have a genetic or medical condition that increase your risks of hearing loss.
Getting a hearing test
Hearing tests are painless and non-invasive. You will usually wear headphones or earplugs with wires connected to an instrument called an audiometer which conducts the test. You will be asked to focus, listen carefully and respond to the tones and sounds you can hear.
Online hearing test
If you’re curious about how your hearing is, an easy self-evaluation is an online test. Online hearing tests are not a replacement for a thorough diagnostic hearing exam, but they are a great start.
TAKE A FREE ONLINE HEARING TEST TODAY
TRY THE QUINTE ONLINE E-SCREENER
For more information, or to schedule an appointment for a hearing screening, call us today!
How the Brain is Affected by Hearing Loss
March is Brain Health Awareness Month!
The human brain is made up of approximately one hundred billion neurons. Communication between these neurons is essential to understanding everything we see, think and do. So, what happens to our brain as we age and our senses start to fail?
When our hearing starts to fail
When hearing loss occurs, the part of the brain devoted to hearing can become reorganized, or reassigned to other functions.
A study done at the University of Colorado’s Department of Speech Language and Hearing Science, assessed adults and children with varying degrees of hearing loss to measure how the brain responded to sound stimulation.
What they found is that when hearing loss occurs, the areas of the brain that manage other senses, like vision and touch, take over the areas of the brain that normally process hearing. Essentially the brain compensates for the loss and adapts by rewiring itself. The brain is a “use it or lose it” organ, and hearing loss should be addressed as soon as it’s identified.
Early intervention
Early diagnosis and intervention to aid in hearing loss can help maintain cognitive function. Hearing loss can impact the brain’s ability to process sound, which can affect a person’s ability to understand speech. Even mild hearing loss can cause changes in the brain, so hearing screenings for all ages are important to protect against reorganization of the brain.
Schedule your baseline hearing screening today!
Want to learn more about how your hearing health is related to your overall health? Download our FREE Healthy Hearing eBook!
The Link Between Hearing Loss, Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
The Link Between Hearing Loss, Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
A healthy heart not only helps you live longer but can help you hear longer too. Did you know that hearing loss is directly linked to your overall health, especially your cardiovascular health?
Research has recently proved that hearing loss is linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Here’s what you need to know…
The link between the heart and ears
New research reveals that a healthy heart is the key to healthy hearing. The inner ear is sensitive to changes in blood flow and compromised cardiovascular health can harm the peripheral and central auditory systems. Inadequate blood flow and trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear can cause hearing loss.
On the flipside, a healthy cardiovascular system can have a positive impact on hearing.
Diabetes and hearing loss
Hearing loss is twice as common in people with diabetes compared to those who do not have diabetes. This is because hearing depends on small blood vessels and nerves in the inner ear. Researchers believe that over time, high blood glucose levels can damage these vessels and nerves, diminishing the ability to hear.
Other stats:
- Women with a history of heart attack are 2.7 times more likely to have impaired cochlear function
- Higher BMI and larger waist circumference in women is associated with an increased risk of hearing loss, and higher physical activity is associated with reduced risk of hearing loss in women
- An individual’s risk of hearing loss increases by 15.1% if he or she is a persistent smoker
The best method of treatment for all disease, including heart disease, diabetes and hearing loss is prevention. All adults over the age of 55 years should be referred for a baseline diagnostic audiological evaluation.
Want to learn more about how your hearing health is related to your overall health? Download our FREE Healthy Hearing eBook!