How to Know You Need A Hearing Aid

No one person gets credit for inventing the hearing aid, but some form of assistance technology has been around for centuries. More than 28 million Americans wear hearing aids and many millions more probably should be wearing them. There are several revealing signs that will help you know you need a hearing aid and get you started on finding out what type would work best for you.

Instructions

• 1

  Notice how other people sound to you. If you are starting to experience hearing loss, you may hear others talking, but find it hard to understand what's being said. It may seem others speak more softly than they used to. And long conversations may make you feel tired or irritable, side effects caused by a constant struggle to hear.

• 2

  Ask others how you sound to them. People with hearing problems may talk louder than they used to and may frequently ask people to repeat themselves. Despite attempts to cover it up, others may have noticed you straining to hear. Or you may often complain about one ear being clogged up with ear wax and that people are talking to your "bad" ear.

• 3

  Confess to your little tricks. You may have become good at guessing the essence of what people are saying by listening for and repeating the last few words of a sentence. Progressive hearing loss can also make you pretty good at lip reading.

• 4

  Think about the environment around you. You may frequently hear hissing or ringing in the background. Or you may find it difficult to hear high or low pitched sounds.

• 5

  Decide if your life is being affected in a negative way by your hearing problems. If you've become anxious about going out and if you don't enjoy being around family and friends as much as you used to, it may be time to address your hearing loss. There have been major advances in audiology technology and most of the time, you can find a hearing aid so small, others won't even know you're wearing it.