7 Reasons to Get Your Hearing Tested

Too often people delay getting a hearing test because they don’t realize that testing and treating their hearing loss can transform their lives. Here are the top reasons to get your hearing tested.

1) Rule out a serious medical issue. Schedule your first full diagnostic evaluation by an audiologist or ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT, or otolaryngologist) by age 30, and then a retest by any hearing healthcare professional every 10 years. In the event of sudden changes, the first test can be used as a baseline. Hearing loss can also be an early sign of cardiovascular problems, diabetes, or dementia. Get tested immediately if you notice a change in your hearing or balance or have tinnitus or difficulty understanding speech.

2) Reduce the risk of brain shrinkage and memory problems. Hearing loss is associated with accelerated brain atrophy, especially in the area of the brain used for short-term memory.

3) Decrease the chance of mental decline from dementia. Countless studies, including Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D.’s 2013 Johns Hopkins study, show that untreated hearing loss speeds up age-related cognitive decline.

4) Improve productivity at work—and increase your paycheck. When you have a hearing loss, your brain utilizes resources that would otherwise go toward problem solving. According to the Better Hearing Institute, “Research shows that hearing loss treatment reduces work discrimination toward the person with the hearing loss. Studies also show that when people with hearing loss use hearing aids, they do better financially.”

5) Keep active and prevent the gradual onset of social isolation and depression. Decreased hearing ability can lead to decreased social activity. Decreased activity leads to isolation, which may then lead to depression. Research has found there is a higher level of depression in those with untreated hearing loss than among those who treat their loss.

6) Reduce stress and fatigue. Active listening (concentrating on what’s being said) can be tiring for anyone. For someone with a hearing loss, it can be downright exhausting. Instead of focusing all your energy on what’s going on around you, your brain has to work even harder just to distinguish the words that are being said. And if your brain gets it wrong, stress and anxiety set in.

7) Enhance the lives of your family members, coworkers, and friends. One of the most overlooked factors is how hearing loss affects other people. Communication is a two-way street, and a hearing loss may affect your loved ones as much as it affects you. A number of studies, including this 2016 report in Gerontologist, shown that the use of hearing aids is associated with improvements in the social, emotional, and interpersonal well-being of people with hearing loss and their loved ones.