Should I get my hearing tested?

Throughout various life stages, it’s a good idea to have different kinds of tests and routine checkups performed to make sure your body’s systems are running optimally. As you age, the types of recommended exams and tests are likely to change—you probably weren’t talking to a doctor about colonoscopies in your 20s!

One test that may increasingly be on your radar as time passes is a hearing test. But how do you when to get your hearing tested or if you can put it off for another few years? Read on and take our hearing test quiz to see if you may be experiencing early signs of hearing loss and should schedule a hearing exam.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recommends you get your hearing tested at least once every ten years up to the age of 50, and then once every three years after that. However, if you work in a noisy environment, have a health condition that could impact your hearing or have other concerns about hearing loss, it doesn’t hurt to have your hearing screened more often.

For many people, hearing loss occurs gradually over time and can go unnoticed—and untreated—for months or years. By keeping an eye, or ear, out for early signs of hearing loss, you can act against it even sooner.

The following quiz questions are adapted from the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults (HHIA), a 25-part questionnaire used to assess how hearing loss may be impacting you.

1. Do you struggle to hear the TV, or do others complain about the volume at which you watch it?
2. Do you have difficulties hearing or understanding what others are saying to you?
3. Do you have difficulty hearing or following conversations in noisy environments, like restaurants?
4. Do you experience a ringing, humming, buzzing or whooshing sensation in your ears, not caused by an external source?
5. Has difficulty hearing caused you to limit your socializing with friends or family?
6. Do you talk on the phone less due to struggles with hearing? 
7. Do you miss or struggle to hear sounds like alarm clocks, doorbells or knocking?
8. Do you often have to ask others to repeat what they said?

Did you answer yes to two or more of the questions above? You may be experiencing early symptoms of hearing loss. Of course, to know for sure whether or not you have hearing loss and may need a hearing aid, you’ll want to visit a professional and get your hearing tested. With Miracle-Ear, it’s easy to book an appointment, examine your hearing and begin your journey to better hearing. 

A hearing test is an easy, painless process that will help you stay on top of your hearing health. In just a few simple steps, you’ll find out whether a hearing aid is right for your needs or if you are all set until you schedule your next test in a few years. To get the most out of your hearing test, though, a little preparation doesn’t hurt.

Your hearing care specialist will ask you a series of questions to gain a better picture of your hearing history and status. To get ready for this evaluation, take some time to think through the following:

• Whether you have a family history of hearing loss.
• Your personal health history, including any significant health issues and/or medications you take.
• Hearing loss symptoms you experience (refer to the quiz and anything you answered “yes” to).
• If your level of difficulty hearing is worse in certain environments.

The more you can share with your hearing care professional, the better they’ll be able to help you.

Next, your hearing evaluation will consist of an ear canal inspection to look for any physical signs of damage to your ear or a buildup of earwax. Finally, you’ll take hearing threshold and speech discrimination tests. These two will help pinpoint your degree of hearing loss.