Tips for Managing Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can affect many areas of your life, like your relationships, physical health, and even self-confidence. It can also limit your independence if you don’t seek the help of an audiologist. You can do many things and avoid a lot of things to manage your hearing loss and live a full life like you want to live. Here are some of our top tips for managing hearing loss.

Find a community

Having a support system can make a huge difference. Hearing loss is the third-highest chronic condition in the United States and Canada, so you are not alone. Because it is so prevalent, you can find resources and support groups to help you navigate through a transition into a comfortable life. You shouldn’t have to try to figure it all out on your own.

Regular checkups

Just as you go in for regular checkups for your hearing and vision, you also need to have regular checkups for your hearing health. Staying on top of your hearing health will help you find the resources and identify issues quickly. You can start living a fuller life if you can locate the problems and start getting help early on instead of waiting until things deteriorate further.

Hearing aid maintenance

It is also essential to maintain your hearing aids. They are an important part of your life, so it is vital that you take care of them. Maintaining your hearing aids will help them perform better and last longer. You need to understand how to clean and store them, change the battery and other issues that might arise. You should get them checked and cleaned by a professional intermittently as well to make sure that you don’t need to make adjustments.

You can also make sure that you understand your hearing aid. Several modern hearing aids will stream phone calls or other audio via Bluetooth into your ear so you can use more of your devices. There may also be interactions with other apps or connections to audio at a venue. You want to take full advantage of all your hearing aid can offer you.

Optimize communication

There are several things you can do to promote productive communication with tweaks to your environment. You should face the person with whom you are conversing and find a location that is away from the noise. Having good lighting will help you to lip-read. You should also give helpful feedback to the person you are talking to so they know how to communicate with you more easily.

Proper nutrition

Eating the right foods and getting the right nutrition can play a huge role when it comes to your hearing health. If your body doesn’t have what it needs, it will be harder for all the parts to work correctly, and this is no exception for your hearing. You can give your hearing health a boost by feeding your body what it needs. Giving your body the proper nutrients can even help to prevent hearing loss.

Protect your hearing

If you work in an environment that has a lot of excess noise, you should take steps to protect your hearing. Using protective hearing gear will help to keep the delicate parts of your ear protected and help protect against hearing loss. Exposure to loud noises is one of the leading causes of hearing loss and it is very preventable. You can take steps to limit your exposure to loud noises, but if that is not possible, then keep hearing protection on hand that is high quality and rated for the noise level you are dealing with.

Talk to your loved ones

Some people get embarrassed about their hearing loss and want to keep it a secret. You should be open with your loved ones about your hearing loss. They can help you manage your symptoms and take steps to communicate more effectively with you. This is something you should do with your family and not on your own.

Be patient with yourself

You are going through a big change, so you need to make sure that you are giving yourself plenty of grace and patience. Finding a hearing plan that works best for you and getting used to new technology is a process, so don’t get discouraged!

Don’t ignore issues

If you start to notice a decline in your hearing or a change in the way you hear, you shouldn’t ignore those changes. It is important to talk to an audiologist as soon as you start noticing a change so you can get the help you need. You can contact Audiology Associates today to get started by calling 573-332-7000.