When it comes to your overall health and wellbeing, your ears are probably the last organ that you are concerned bout. And this is not surprising since a majority of people do not pay much attention to their hearing until it develops a problem. Yet, these body parts are quite sensitive. From infections to a perforated eardrum, overlooking symptoms under the guise that they will go away on their own could put your hearing at serious risk.
Although in some cases you may simply need to see an ear, nose and throat specialist, others will warrant the expertise of an audiologist. To ensure that you are not overlooking the health of your ears, this piece outlines a couple of instances that should prompt you to visit an audiologist.
You are experiencing hearing problems
Undoubtedly, one of the most common reasons why patients will set up an appointment with an audiologist is when they are having trouble with their hearing. However, what some people take for granted is that they will immediately know when something is off when, in truth, hearing loss is a gradual process. Contrary to popular belief, your hearing will not disappear spontaneously. Hence, you need to know what signs to be wary of so that you can seek professional help sooner rather than later, as this can put you at the threat of complete hearing loss.
Some of the symptoms of an underlying problem with your hearing include constantly increasing the volume of the TV or when listening to music, speaking louder than the people around you, constantly asking people to repeat themselves and so on. An audiologist will carry out a series of tests to determine the degree of hearing loss and determine what course of treatment will be best for your needs.
You keep hearing ringing in your ears
When you start to hear whistling, buzzing or hissing noises directly in your ears, it is usually referred to as ringing in the ears and is typically indicative of tinnitus. While this condition is not life-threatening, it can have a severe impact on your quality of life since, in some cases, it can lead to insomnia, depression and so on. Tinnitus can come about due to several reasons.
Most commonly, it occurs when you are exposed to blaring noises, for example, roaring music, noise equipment such as jackhammers, a head injury, high blood pressure and even some types of medications! An audiologist will carry out a thorough examination to determine if any of the internal parts of the ear have acquired damage and prescribe treatment based on their findings.
For more information, contact an audiologist today.
Your health won't look after itself. If you want to live a long and active life, it is important that you understand the services and treatments which are on offer at your local health care clinic. Now, I'm not a health professional but I do have a passion for everything related to personal well-being and health. I've dedicated my time to carefully researching everything you might want to know about local healthcare such as health care costs, healthcare in the workplace, disease prevention, exercise, where you can get a good night's sleep, body awareness, chronic conditions and how to get the right treatment and diagnosis. Read on to find out more!