Anxious About a Hearing Test? Here’s What to Expect

A lot of things in life are scary until you understand them. You might have been nervous about driving until you got comfortable behind the wheel. Maybe a particular horror movie scared you until you learned how they pulled off the effects. For most people, fear of the unknown is a big driver of anxiousness.

That’s true of medical processes, too. If you’ve got a hearing test coming up and you’re feeling anxious, it’s probably because you don’t know what to expect. 

We’re here to help. With expertise in hearing loss, Matthew W. Shawl, MD, regularly supports patients as they navigate hearing tests from our New York City office in Union Square. Dr. Shawl and our team built this guide to help you feel prepared for your upcoming appointment.

What happens during a hearing test

Try to remember back to your time in primary school. Did the school nurse or your doctor check your hearing? If they did, it probably meant putting on a pair of headphones and signaling when you heard a sound.

As an adult, the test isn’t so different, although it might involve a few more pieces. 

During your hearing test, you sit in a room that’s designed to keep outside sounds out. Then, you listen as we pipe certain sounds or words through headphones. 

You’re involved in your hearing test insofar as you have to report what you hear. Your provider might have you put a hand up when you hear a sound or repeat a word that you hear. 

You get the results of your test right away. Your audiologist goes over those results with you to tell you how your ears are working. If you need any support to hear clearly, you can start exploring it at that time.

Types of hearing tests

Most hearing tests include a pure tone test. During your test, an audiologist plays sounds at different pitches and volumes. You signal when you hear something. You might raise a hand or press a button. By indicating the different volumes and pitches you can detect, you help the audiologist get a better feel for how well you hear. 

In addition to pure tone testing, Dr. Shawl might recommend:

• A bone conduction test to see if hearing loss centers in your inner or outer ear
• An auditory brainstem response (ABR) to monitor brainwave activity as you hear
• An otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test to see if your inner ear works as it should
• Tympanometry to check your eardrum

Dr. Shawl lets you know what to expect during each type of test he recommends for you. 

If you don’t already have a hearing test scheduled but you think you might need one, use this online quiz. This tool from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders should help you decide if you need to get your ears evaluated. 

For more information about hearing tests or to find out if you should schedule one, call us or book some time with Dr. Shawl online today.