You don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and that is certainly true of your hearing.

Do you suffer from ringing or other noise in your ears? You could be one of the estimated 50 million Americans who deal with tinnitus, but those symptoms could also be a sign of hearing loss.

The American Tinnitus Association reported that one research project found 56 percent of tinnitus patients reported some hearing loss. Further, many researchers believe subjective tinnitus (the most common form) cannot exist without some prior loss of hearing.

There are two common forms of underlying hearing loss that can play a role in tinnitus, and whether or not you need a hearing aid, Advanced Audiology can help.

As we age, our hearing deteriorates. It usually starts around age 60 and tends to affect both ears. It is a form of hearing loss that involves the sensory loss of high-frequency sounds.

Whether in a single traumatic experience (a factor in many military veterans’ tinnitus) or exposure over time (as experienced by musicians), noise-related hearing loss can affect one or both ears. It typically causes hearing loss within the frequency range of the triggering sound trauma.

It’s also important to protect your hearing. Noise levels are measured in decibels. For instance, a normal conversation is around 60 decibels, and considered in the “safe” range. At the opposite end of the spectrum in the “injury” range, an ambulance siren is an example of noise in the 120-decibel range. One shouldn’t be exposed to that level of noise without hearing protection for more than about 10 minutes at the maximum.

If you frequently work in high-noise environments, it pays to use earplugs to reduce the risk of hearing damage. Additionally, limit your high noise exposure as much as possible. Just as the rest of your body needs to recuperate after hard work or exercise, your ears also need to rest periodically.

Because of the risks presented by tinnitus, Advanced Audiology recommends having one’s hearing screened regularly. A screening with a qualified audiologist can help in pinpointing risk factors and help in determining treatment options.

It can be easy to dismiss hearing problems or minor hearing loss as something to deal with “later,” but the truth is that hearing problems rarely if ever get better without treatment.

Take care of your hearing health so you can keep living your life to the fullest.

Nola Aronson, M.A., CCC-A, is owner and founder of Advanced Audiology, and has been fitting hearing aids for more than 30 years. In 2014, she received the Community Champion at the SCV Leadership Awards.