New Year's Resolution: Get Your Hearing Tested

Happy New Year! It’s 2020 and there’s never been a better year to get focused. Where should you start? Getting your hearing tested is a great way to kick off the new year right. Hearing tests detect issues and changes in the way you hear and can help you connect with solutions before they have a negative impact on your health. Hearing better improves your quality of life and getting a hearing test is your first step towards better hearing. 

 
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Hearing Issues Shouldn’t Be Ignored

Did you know that 48 million American adults have significant hearing loss? Hearing loss is incredibly common, and risk of hearing issues increases as we get older. That means that as we age it is important to consider how our hearing is aging with us. Staying on top of your hearing health isn’t a hard job, and hearing tests are absolutely painless, yet many people push an annual recommended hearing test to the back of their “to do” list. On average, people with hearing loss wait seven years before addressing their hearing issues! In that period of time, hearing loss can worsen and affect other aspects of your health and well-being.



Hearing Loss Is Important for Your Total Health

When left untreated, hearing loss is linked to many negative health problems, from issues with mental and social health to falling accidents and heart disease. Three of the most direct and significant health issues related to hearing loss are the increased risk of depression, anxiety, and social isolation. 

Untreated hearing loss can fuel these disorders, amplifying their impact on a person’s quality of life. For example, the inability to understand conversations with loved ones can make a person with hearing loss feel lonely and disconnected, cause them to withdraw from social connection and activity and increase their uncertainty about the world around them. When dealing with untreated hearing loss is an everyday occurrence, these feelings and social patterns can become entrenched and seem insurmountable.

Managing your hearing health is a key factor of your overall health. Hearing is linked not just to our feelings and social behavior; our physical health also benefits when hearing issues are addressed. One example is how untreated hearing loss increases both the risk of developing dementia and the severity of symptoms in patients with existing dementia. When treated with hearing aids, research is showing that focus and cognition is significantly improved for people living with dementia. It isn’t just the most dramatic cases though, treating hearing loss can improve your quality of life and be an important preventative step in your healthcare.  


Hearing Loss Can Be Treated

One major factor that it is important to understand is that most hearing loss is permanent, caused by irreversible damage to the delicate inner ear. Although hearing loss cannot be reversed, it can be treated effectively using hearing aids and other assistive devices. The earlier hearing issues are detected the easier it is to adapt to a hearing solution and the more likely you will slow further hearing loss.

Hearing testing is your first defense for finding and treating hearing loss. A hearing exam creates a nuanced map of the way you hear and it can help detect hearing challenges and issues before they develop into major problems. If issues are found with your hearing, your specialist can help you find answers that are specifically tailored to your hearing, often using the cutting-edge corrective technology of modern hearing aids. Whether you have severe hearing loss or no hearing loss at all, a hearing exam is simple, painless and non-invasive testing that can help you live a fuller, healthier life.


Hart Hearing and Balance Centers

Ready to set up your first hearing exam of the new year? Hart Hearing and Balance Centers are your hearing specialists for the Rochester area. With five convenient locations, hearing solutions are always nearby. Our hearing and balance services are based on state-of-the-art testing combined with exceptional patient care. We connect you with personalized solutions for your hearing and balance issues that improve your hearing and meet the demands of your lifestyle. Contact us today to set up your hearing exam.