How Beltone of Central California Can Help You Restore your Hearing Health
Have you been experiencing difficulty hearing? Are you finding that having a conversation is hard? Do you find it difficult to follow the dialogue on a television show? If you are having a hard time hearing well, it can quickly become more than just an inconvenience. Our ability to hear well is critical to our quality of life, and hearing loss can have a significant impact on a person’s overall well-being. Research shows hearing loss can lead to feelings of depression, and is also associated with cognitive impairment and decline. If you are experiencing hearing loss, or know someone who is, you may be interested to learn what causes it, and why it affects so many people. Here we discuss common causes of hearing loss, and how Beltone’s Hearing Centers of the Central Valley can help you restore your hearing health.
Hearing loss can generally be categorized as one of three types: conductive, which is hearing loss that involves the outer or middle ear; sensorineural, hearing loss that involves the inner ear; and mixed, which is hearing loss that involves a combination of each. The most common type of hearing loss is known as presbycusis, this is the kind of hearing loss that occurs gradually with age. This type of hearing loss is common throughout the United States, and affects about one-third of Americans between the ages of 65 and 75. Approximately half of Americans older than 75 have some degree of hearing loss.
Damage or poor conditions within the ear are also common causes of hearing loss. Damage to the inner ear, which can be caused by aging or exposure to loud noises, occurs when the hairs or nerve cells in the cochlea are damaged or missing. When this happens, electrical sound signals to the brain can not be transmitted as efficiently. As a result, it may be difficult to pick out words against background noise, and higher pitched tones may sound muffled.
Chronic exposure to loud noises, a sudden rupture of the eardrum, or other factors, such as an excessive amount of earwax can lead to loss of hearing. A ruptured eardrum, also known as tympanic membrane perforation, may occur due to loud blasts of noise, sudden changes in pressure, poking the eardrum with an object, or infection. Any of these events may cause the eardrum to rupture, significantly impacting hearing. Hearing loss can also occur in the outer or middle ear when there is an ear infection or abnormal bone growths or tumors. A gradual buildup of earwax can even significantly impair hearing, as earwax can block the ear canal and prevent conduction of sound waves.
Most types of hearing loss are not reversible, but there are steps you can take to improve your hearing and minimize the disruption hearing loss causes. At Beltone’s Hearing Care Centers of Central Valley, our hearing care specialists can help you determine what is causing your hearing loss. Beltone offers complimentary hearing evaluations, which include a video ear scan, a comprehensive audiometric hearing test, and a personalized hearing health assessment, valued at $275 and offered at no cost to you. Beltone’s professional hearing specialists will listen closely to your needs, and work with you to determine which hearing solution will work best for your lifestyle, budget, and degree of hearing loss.
If you have been experiencing hearing loss, and you are ready to improve your hearing health, come into your local Beltone Central California office today! No matter the cause of your hearing loss, our hearing care professionals can help you. Beltone offers a full range of assistance with hearing instruments, live hearing aid demonstrations, same-day hearing aid repairs and servicing, and warranty repairs. With six offices to serve the Central California region, Fresno, Hanford, Modesto, Oakhurst, Sonora, and Visalia, there’s an office near you. Call Beltone at (559) 981-8894 to speak with our friendly staff or click here to schedule an appointment. You can restore your hearing health, with Beltone!