The spring season is a time of excitement as the air warms around us, grass becomes green again and tree leaves begin to bud. Who hasn’t come across an early blooming crocus, daffodil or tulip and stopped and stared in surprise. It is amazing that whether this is your first spring or eightieth, the excitement the spring season brings is definitely contagious.

While the feel of warmer air and the visual sight of grass are a big part of the season, so are the sounds we hear. Our ears experience spring through sounds such as wind chimes, birds tweeting and pattering rain. If these sounds are no longer part of your spring season, then it is time to get your hearing checked. If you already have hearing aids, spring is a great time for a check in with your audiologist. Here are some ideas to make sure your hearing health is on track to enjoy the season.

If you have hearing aids, start by reviewing your daily cleaning and care routine. Are you following a regular care plan? What is working with your routine and what is not? Next, take inventory of your hearing. What are your most successful listening scenarios and hearing aid settings? What listening scenarios are still difficult? Write this information down and make an appointment with your audiologist. Your audiologist can examine your hearing aids for fit and function, listen to your concerns and make suggestions, so you can leave the appointment with ideas to help you hear your best.

If you don’t have hearing aids, spring is a great time to commit yourself to better hearing health. Take a close inspection of the sounds you are missing and write them down. Then make a call and schedule an initial hearing test. Your hearing care professional will use the initial findings from this test to determine what further testing you will need.

Enjoy spring with your ears again!