How to Get Ready for Your Hearing Test

If you’ve recently scheduled a hearing test, there are a number of ways you can ensure you’re prepared for this assessment. While you don’t have to do anything strenuous, there are some simple steps you can take to get the most out of your appointment. From cleaning your ears to noting any symptoms you’ve been experiencing, check the following things off your list before heading off to your hearing test.

Clean your ears

One of the most basic things that you can do is clean your ears before you go and see a hearing health professional. Your ears are self-cleaning and the wax they produce actually removes debris and particles from the inside of your ear canal. To clean your ears, simply take a damp cloth and wipe it around the outside of your ear to remove any excess earwax.

Don’t go with a cold

If you come down with a head cold, then you should call and rearrange your appointment. If you have a cold, you might find that there is a buildup of fluid in the middle of your ear, which comes from the congestion in your head. One of the tests that the hearing care specialist might do is check the function of your eardrum. If there is a buildup of fluid, the eardrum and bones will not vibrate normally, and this will impact the results of your hearing test. For this reason, if you have a cold, you need to make sure that you have informed the relevant people and have an appointment for when you are feeling better.

Stay away from loud noises

Exposure to loud noises before a hearing test may have an impact on your results. This is because one of the tests performed at a hearing test involves testing for the softest tone that your ears can detect. If you have been exposed to loud noises before this test, you may have some temporary damage, which will lead to incorrect results.

Note your symptoms

Your hearing care provider will ask you if you have any symptoms that they should be aware of. Instead of trying to remember them all on the spot, you should make a list of these before you go for your hearing test. This will make it more efficient, and you can be sure that you haven’t left anything out when you are describing them.