Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions?

Many of us do.  Often our resolutions have something to do with our health and wellness.  Did you resolve to work out more?

Or to eat healthier?  Was one of your resolutions to have your hearing checked in 2016?  Most likely it was not but If you are concerned with your overall health, having your hearing checked is a great idea.  You should add having your hearing checked to your list of things to do in 2016.

We routinely have our eyes and teeth checked.  We have our blood checked.  We have mammograms or prostate exams.  When was the last time you had your hearing checked?  If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease it is important to have a baseline or routine hearing test so your hearing can be monitored.  Hearing loss is about twice as common in adults who have type 2 diabetes.  Did you resolve to work out more and eat healthier in 2016?  A higher body mass index (BMI) and larger waist measurement is also a risk factor for hearing loss and another reason to have a baseline hearing evaluation.  A healthy cardiovascular system can have a positive effect on your hearing.  Have you fallen recently?  Those with untreated hearing loss are at greater risk of falling.  Even those with a mild hearing loss are about three times more likely to have a history of falling and longer hospital stays.

Are you asking others to repeat?  Do you say what frequently?  Does your spouse complain that the TV is too loud?  Do you have trouble hearing a clerk in a store?  Do you avoid making phone calls?  Do you have trouble hearing a waiter in a restaurant?  Do you avoid going to events?  Can you hear the turn signal in your car?  These are also reasons to have your hearing checked.

You probably think your hearing is fine.  You may think that if your hearing has changed you would be the first to know.  Hearing usually changes gradually over time.   You get used to not hearing as well as you once did and then when someone points out that you keep saying “what” you think there is no reason for them to say that.  Most likely there is a reason your spouse or friend suggests you have your hearing checked.  It may just be that your ears need cleaned.

Maybe you could benefit from hearing aids.  If hearing aids are recommended don’t be afraid to try them.  There has been an avalanche of new technology in the last twelve months.  Now hearing instruments are almost invisible.  You can take phone calls through them.  You can even use your phone as a remote mic in a noisy restaurant or to adjust volume or bass and treble balance and no one will even know what you are doing.  Most often you just put them on and go about your day in sunny southwest Florida.

Why don’t you have your hearing
checked in 2016?
Without a recent hearing check you don’t really know how you are hearing.  You may be mishearing and that can be embarrassing.  Be part of the conversation at the clubhouse.  Hear the birds at Corkscrew Swamp.  Hear your friends on the golf course.  Enjoy hearing your friends at an outdoor café.  It’s season in Florida and there are many fun and rewarding activities that you should be part of.  Don’t let your hearing hold you back.  Keep your New Year’s resolutions for a healthier and happier 2016.

Audiology & Hearing Care of SWFL