The Required Frequency of Testing Your Hearing

People are often encouraged to get their hearing tested to detect early signs of hearing loss. What they are often unaware of, is the required frequency of these tests. Nowadays, hearing tests are provided right from the beginning of life itself, when we are newborns. Throughout the years of childhood hearing tests are also provided, but after we grow up, we often take our hearing for granted and never schedule hearing tests as regularly as we should.

Ideally, it is recommended that every adult should get their hearing assessed once a year. You can make it a part of your yearly health checkup, the way you scheduled a visit to your dentist or to your general physician. Regular hearing tests can help detect early signs of any hearing impairment and also help provide you with timely interventions that can help rectify the damage.

Each of us is like a snowflake; no two of us are alike! It is with this in mind that the American Speech Language Hearing Association recommends that people between the ages of 18 and 40 who appear not to be experiencing any difficulty whatsoever in their hearing, can have their hearing tested more sporadically. Those with regular hearing can choose to have their hearing examined once in 3-5 years.

People with regular hearing that are prone to risks of experiencing hearing damage ought to have more frequent hearing tests, preferably on a yearly basis. Such people include those who work in loud work settings such as construction, mining, and even those in the military who face combats.

If you are constantly exposed to extremely high levels of sound on a regular basis, even if for recreational purposes, you should test your hearing regularly. Such people include those who love listening to music on their earphones, attend music concerts or sports events. It is recommended that anyone who experiences even sudden bursts of very loud noise ought to have their hearing tested once a year. Furthermore, it is important to engage in protective measures such as wearing earplugs while attending loud recreational events, and lowering the volume on your personal audio device when listening to music.

People who already suspect that they may have some type of hearing loss are recommended to get their hearing tested immediately without delay. Untreated hearing impairment can become more severe over time and have adverse effects on your overall sense of well-being.

For those who are 60 years and older are recommended to get their hearing checked annually to detect any signs of hearing damage due to increasing age. Timely detection can help reduce any damage and simple rectifications may be all that you require to get your hearing back on track.

Needless to say, those who already wear hearing aids also need to have their hearing tested on a yearly basis. Wearing hearing aids does not fix your hearing permanently. Hearing aids, like any other electronic device, are prone to the wear and tear of everyday life and thus need to be checked to make sure they are functioning to their optimum capacity.

A general guideline is to simply get your hearing checked once a year to prevent and detect any early signs of hearing loss. Sometimes it may be a simple case of too much earwax in the ears. Either way, prevention is always better than the cure!