The Basics
A hearing test is an examination which evaluates a person’s hearing ability. It works simply by measuring the capacity of sound to reach the brain. Hearing tests are immensely important for a number of reasons, but before we delve into why we should maintain healthy ears, let’s explore the significance of the process of hearing.
Every sound we hear begins as a simple vibration. Imagine a distant thunder storm. After a lightning bolt travels out of its cloud, there is a small hole that opens in the air, called a channel. Once the light has vanished, the air collapses inward on the hole and creates the sound wave. Essentially, vibrations derived from this hole create the sound of thunder. The speed of the vibration determines the pitch of the sound, and the volume of the sound waves is determined by the height. The interesting part comes next. Hearing occurs when the sound waves (the sound of thunder) travels through the ear canal and are turned into nerve impulses. The signal or impulses are then sent to the brain and we process the sound.
How Hearing Loss Affects Us
Despite the amazing and complicated science behind our processing of sound, we often take our hearing for granted. Hearing loss can come at any time in our life, but when it happens it can cause a major change to our lifestyle. Although it may emerge as a subtle change at first, hearing loss can rapidly grow into something more serious. It’s often the case that people chalk losing their hearing to old age and just forget about it. Sometimes people are scared, sometimes people see it as a hassle. But in reality, there are a number of painful symptoms that can come out of hearing loss. Untreated hearing loss can cause some of the following:
- Depression
- Loneliness
- Isolation
- Decline in work performance
- Trouble remembering things
- Negative attitudes
- Unsafe situations
Get Your Hearing Tested
Hearing tests measure your ability to hear sounds. If there’s any indication that you’re suffering from hearing loss, your audiologist will let you know.
There are a number of different kinds of hearing tests. Hearing tests can be done in an audiometry laboratory, in a doctor’s office, school, or by any health professional. Additionally, with the help of modern day technology, online hearing tests are rapidly growing in popularity due to the convenience. The advantage of online hearing tests is that you can take the test in the comfort of your own home.
There’s really nothing to lose when it comes to taking a hearing test. Individuals gain peace of mind knowing what kind of condition they’re dealing with, plus there is opportunity to ameliorate the problem through diagnoses and treatment. Untreated hearing loss will typically get worse and worse. There are now direct links that correlate hearing loss to dimentia, making the diagnosis and treatment more important than ever. Catching the problem early on keeps it from becoming an even bigger issue in the future. It’s simple: get your hearing checked out and gain some peace of mind.
This article was written by Steven Gomez. Steve is a wealth of knowledge and loves to share his interest and passion for science.
