A yearly physical and a dental checkup every six months are crucial to caring for your overall well-being. Unfortunately, despite the importance, few people remember to include regular hearing tests in their wellness checklist. Part of that missing checkpoint comes from people not knowing how often they should have their hearing tested.
Let’s take a look at how often adults of different ages should schedule hearing tests to help you create a well-rounded wellness routine.
Ages 18-40
Adults aged 18 to 40 should schedule a hearing test about every five to eight years. Age-related hearing loss is less likely before 40, but other factors, like illness, genetics or noise exposure, can damage hearing. Scheduling hearing tests every five to eight years will help spot damage before it progresses too far. If the cause is preventable, as with noise-related damage, we can give you tips to reduce your risk.
Ages 40-65
Age-related hearing changes and continued noise exposure can lead to greater hearing loss after age 40. Adults between the ages of 40 and 50 should schedule hearing tests every five years. Even if no hearing loss is detected, we’ll be able to establish a baseline hearing that will help us track even minute changes over time. After age 50, you should schedule tests every three to five years. If a previous test revealed slight hearing changes, we may recommend more frequent testing.
Ages 65 and Up
About one-third of older adults have hearing loss. As you get older, your risk of hearing loss increases. For that reason, we recommend scheduling yearly hearing tests to identify and address issues as early as possible.
Why is Early Identification Important?
Untreated hearing loss can impact your ability to communicate effectively, reduce your overall background awareness and leave you feeling exhausted from the effort of understanding speech. By identifying hearing loss as early as possible, we can mitigate these side effects with the use of professionally fitted hearing aids.
If it’s time for your hearing test, or you’ve noticed changes in your hearing regardless of your last test, contact North Georgia ENT today to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists.
Sources
National Institute on Aging. (2023). Hearing loss: A common problem for older adults. National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/hearing-and-hearing-loss/hearing-loss-common-problem-older-adults