Let's take the hearing test!

New Year's Resolution

Far too few Germans get regular hearing tests. Yet a hearing test—if done early enough—can help prevent hearing loss.

At a Glance

• Only 39 percent of all Germans get their hearing checked regularly
• 92 percent consider hearing an important part of quality of life
• The Radar hearing test shows how well acoustic signals related to road traffic are perceived.

For many people, New Year’s resolutions are just as much a part of the turn of the year as New Year’s Eve celebrations. Their priorities vary—some want to exercise more, reduce their stress, or take better and more mindful care of their health. How about a hearing test, for example? Even if we think we hear just fine, a professional hearing test can detect existing hearing issues early on. Your New Year’s resolutions are surely still fresh in your mind. But all too often, they’re quickly abandoned—especially when it comes to health.  So here are 5 tips on how you can put your good resolutions—such as getting a hearing test—into practice.

5 Tips to Make Sure Your Resolutions Don't Just Stay Resolutions

Establishing new habits takes time. When you repeat certain behaviors regularly, they become ingrained in your brain and turn into habits. Here are a few tips to help you stay on track and turn your new resolutions into reality. This applies just as much to regular hearing tests, which can help you protect your hearing.

• Don't set your goals too high—your goals must be achievable, otherwise you'll quickly give up on them.
• Formulate specific goals—Instead of simply saying “take care of preventive health care,” be clear and specific. For example, “go for a hearing test twice a year.”
• Set specific dates (and don’t postpone them)—Defining fixed days and times for certain activities helps, such as scheduling an appointment with an ENT doctor or hearing aid specialist.
• Find allies—Many things are much more fun when done together, and that’s the key to sticking with it. Encourage your partner or friend to schedule an appointment as well.
• Reward yourself for your successes– Once you’ve reached a goal, treat yourself to something special.

How widely are hearing tests used?

Incidentally, when it comes to knowing where to get a hearing test—whether from an ENT doctor or a hearing care professional—no one knows better than we Germans, as the report “The State of Hearing 2019” shows. For the annual “The State of Hearing 2019” survey, people in Australia, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States were asked how the topic of hearing is viewed by individuals and society. For the latest survey, 7,200 people, including those with hearing loss, were interviewed. According to the findings, we Germans—at 42 percent—are the best informed about where to get a hearing test. Nevertheless, only 39 percent of respondents in Germany have had a hearing test in the past two years. And this is despite the fact that one in two survey participants in Germany has a family member who suffers from hearing loss. According to the WHO, one in three Germans over the age of 65 lives with impaired hearing.

The consequences of hearing loss are well known

Many people are well aware of the consequences of hearing loss: For example, 80 percent of survey respondents say that hearing loss affects relationships. 62 percent stated that hearing loss leads to social isolation. And 84 percent of all respondents see an impact on communication with family and friends, while 59 percent believe that career opportunities decrease with hearing loss. 92 percent of all survey participants rate hearing as an important part of quality of life.

Other consequences of untreated hearing loss:

• The constant effort to perceive one’s surroundings despite impaired hearing leads to increased fatigue, exhaustion, headaches, and stress.
• Studies suggest that the risk of depression increases as the degree of hearing loss becomes more severe.
• Even a hearing loss of just 25 decibels impairs balance and increases the risk of falling by nearly three times.

Why don’t more people do anything about hearing loss?

So even though we’re aware of the consequences of hearing loss, we far too rarely get a hearing test to check our hearing. This may well be because we consider hearing loss to be an inevitable and acceptable part of aging. According to the study, this applies to 64 percent of all respondents in Germany. And it is precisely this attitude that not only leads to shortcomings in hearing prevention but also hinders early diagnosis and treatment. Especially since a hearing test is the first step toward avoiding the health, social, and professional disadvantages caused by hearing loss and improving quality of life.

The Radar Hearing Test—A New Method for Greater Traffic Safety

Hearing is immensely important not only in our daily professional lives but also in our personal lives—especially when traveling, engaging in recreational activities, and on the road. When we’re on the road, in particular, the ability to locate the source of acoustic signals plays a crucial role. It works on a principle similar to that of a radar. To find out how well we can do this, the Radar Initiative has developed the Radar Hearing Test. Through this hearing test, the Initiative Radar aims to make people realize that, in our age of communication, good hearing is important not only for better speech comprehension, according to Dirk Kampmann of the Initiative Radar. Safe participation in road traffic is also only possible if one’s hearing is not impaired. This is exactly where the expanded Radar Hearing Test comes in.

What exactly does the radar hearing test assess?

The hearing test is designed for all road users—whether drivers, cyclists, or pedestrians. After all, everyone on the road is repeatedly exposed to situations where the spatial perception of signals plays a crucial role. Can an approaching vehicle, such as a motorcycle or a car, be detected by hearing? Can you detect a bicycle approaching from behind or recognize a classic warning signal, such as a streetcar’s bell? Can you hear a car honking or the siren of an emergency vehicle? Do you hear human exclamations such as “Watch out,” “Look out,” or “Stop”? The Radar Hearing Test provides the answers. “Taking a Radar hearing test on a regular basis thus becomes another important piece of the puzzle when it comes to accident prevention,” according to the spokespeople for the Radar initiative.

Who is affected by hearing loss?

By the way, hearing loss doesn’t just happen as people get older—many young people also have trouble hearing. It usually doesn’t happen overnight; it’s typically a gradual process. However, there are some signs that may indicate hearing loss:

• You find yourself having to turn up the volume on the radio and TV more and more.
• You find yourself asking people to repeat themselves frequently during conversations.
• You find it difficult to follow conversations in noisy environments.
• At the end of the day, you feel exhausted and tired.
• You increasingly perceive the voices of those around you as muffled.
• High-pitched sounds are difficult to understand.

If you notice one or more of these signs in yourself or those around you, don’t hesitate to get a hearing test.

To learn how a hearing test actually works, check out our video series on hearing tests and hearing aid fitting.