Routine healthcare visits are an essential part of maintaining your overall well-being, especially as you age. In addition to regular check-ups with your primary care physician and dentist, you should also make regular hearing check-ups a priority.
Why Routine Hearing Check-Ups Are Vital
Hearing loss is a gradual process. So gradual, in fact, that you may not even notice that it’s happening. Even then, many individuals who do notice symptoms of hearing loss wait to seek help; some wait as long as ten years! Don’t let hearing loss go untreated that long and seek help when you notice symptoms, or even before.
If you’re already a hearing aid user, it’s a good idea to check in with your audiologist regularly to ensure your hearing aids are working in top condition and they are still able to deliver according to your developing hearing needs. They can perform routine maintenance on the hearing aid, as well as evaluate the progression of your hearing loss and adjust your hearing aid settings accordingly.
Winter and Its Effects on Hearing
Winter is an excellent time for a hearing appointment for two main reasons: One, the less-busy months at the beginning of the new year make scheduling easy; and two, winter conditions can subtly affect your hearing health, meaning that checking in now can help you stay ahead of these effects.
Winter Weather
Cold temperatures can actually impact your ears in more significant ways than you realize. Blood circulation slows, and blood vessels in your extremities—like your ears—constrict to keep warmth centered in your body. This is why your nose, ears and fingers are the first parts of your body to feel cold on a chilly day. However, blood flow is vital to the functioning of the cochlea, the organ in your inner ear that is responsible for transmitting sound information to your brain. Additionally, dry winter air and the prevalence of viruses (the common cold, the flu and COVID, for example) make you susceptible to middle ear infections, which can lead to hearing loss.
If you wear hearing aids, the condensation that appears in winter comes with its own considerations. Have you noticed how your glasses fog up whenever you walk into a warm building after being outside? That same condensation is also landing on your hearing aids, and you probably know well that hearing aids and water don’t mix. On that same note, rain, snow and other winter weather can lead to moisture accumulation in your hearing aids, too. All of these factors are good reasons to check in with a hearing health specialist.
Winter Festivities
Furthermore, the social events of early winter (especially the holidays and New Year’s) might have made an impact on your hearing. Holiday parties and concerts are loud, as well as snow blowing and snowmobiling. Remember that noise exposure is one of the leading causes of hearing loss. You may even have noticed new signs of developing hearing loss at a holiday party, such as difficulty following a conversation or feeling overstimulated by an excess of background noise.
How to Prepare for Your Appointment
At your hearing care appointment, you’ll be asked about your medical history and what symptoms you’ve noticed. Have this information available ahead of time, Perhaps write down specific instances of hearing difficulties so you can bring them up to the audiologist.
If you’re ready to take this proactive step in your hearing health, call Aaron's Hearing Aid & Audiology Center today to make your appointment. We are happy to work with you!