Even when it’s fairly mild, hearing loss can have a huge impact on your life. There will be a dramatic change in the way you interact with loved ones, friends, and coworkers. Daily tasks like going to the grocery store can become more challenging. But it doesn’t have to have this kind of negative affect on you. Quite the opposite, a well calibrated pair of hearing aids can make a big difference.
Hearing aids improve your ability to hear, and that’s usually how most people think of them. And that’s not untrue. But how do hearing aids enhance quality of life? What further advantages will hearing aids create?
The top ten reasons to get hearing aids
We humans just love creating top ten lists. I bet you didn’t think you would be reading a top ten list about hearing aids when you woke up this morning. Well, perhaps you did if you’ve been coping with your hearing loss for a while.
So, what are the top ten benefits associated with using your hearing aid? Here they are!
1. Your relationships will get better
For any relationship to be strong, good communication is indispensable. But when you have untreated hearing loss, communication can be challenging. But when you wear hearing aids, you’ll be able to hear the entire conversation without missing anything. You’ll hear everything, you’ll get the full story, and you’ll be able to keep up with the conversation.
This also means you won’t feel left out of the conversation, and you won’t feel resentful that the conversations continue without you. So you will have an improvement in your relationships with family members, friends, and coworkers. The link between hearing aids and relationships is a powerful one!
2. You’ll be more independent
Shopping at the grocery store or going to a restaurant when you’re dealing with neglected hearing loss can be an ordeal. Trying to communicate with wait staff and cashiers can be challenging when you can’t hear very well. But with a set of hearing aids, the whole process suddenly becomes a lot easier. You can get around much more independently.
Driving will also be less hazardous. That’s because your hearing aids will improve your total situational awareness (more on that later). When you hear more of the world, you’ll be capable of doing more on your own, and you’ll be able to do it with less anxiety.
3. You could make more money
Let’s throw out a hypothetical: if you’re losing large parts of what’s being discussed during meetings at work, your job performance will be affected negatively. This can lead to lost promotions or even dicey job prospects.
When you’re wearing precisely tuned hearing aids, you will be less exhausted from struggling to hear, and following along with those meetings will be a lot easier. By doing this you can have a chance to boost your income by increasing your ability to focus on work.
4. Your tinnitus symptoms will diminish
Tinnitus is one of those things that most individuals have experienced from time to time; it’s that buzzing or ringing in your ear. Tinnitus symptoms will frequently be more extreme and frequent with hearing loss (there are a number of explanations for this, sometimes the tinnitus is only relatively louder because everything else is so quiet, for instance).
Many people observe that their tinnitus symptoms decrease when they wear a hearing aid. The louder overall external sound supplied by the hearing aid may be, in some cases, simply drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But relief is relief.
5. Reduced chance of mental decline
There is a solid link between cognitive decline and hearing impairment. For instance, untreated hearing loss can seriously increase your chance of developing dementia. There are many theories about why this may be, but the end result is that treating your hearing loss seems to help! That’s why it’s essential to be certain you wear your hearing aids. You could be helping your brain health!
6. You can appreciate music again
When you suffer from hearing loss music is more difficult to hear clearly. That’s because one frequency of sound typically goes before the others. Maybe you’re unable to hear low frequencies, for example. The music you used to like, consequently, may sound… different.
With your hearing aids, though, those missing holes in the music will be filled in, and you can enjoy music again! You’ll get the high notes and the low notes, instead of just one or the other (or a muffled mess). Hearing your favorite tune again can be extremely enjoyable.
7. You’ll get a boost of confidence
Your confidence will be enhanced when you can hear better and have more successful interactions. And who doesn’t like confidence?
We’re not implying that you shouldn’t be confident just because you deal with hearing loss. It’s just that, particularly if that hearing loss is new, you may suddenly find it a challenge to interact with others in the same ways you always have.
Those interactions can become easier again when you use hearing aids. And when that takes place, confidence will improve.
8. Your vitality will be higher
Your brain is probably working extra hard if your hearing loss is gradually advancing. The audio holes that your hearing loss is producing will try to be filled in by your brain because it doesn’t know that your ears aren’t working. That’s… a lot of work! And so, your brain is under persistent strain.
Your brain gets to refresh and unwind when you use a hearing aid. It won’t have to work as hard. Which means you won’t feel so continually exhausted and drained. You’ll have more vitality to do the things you love to do!
9. You’ll be safer and more mindful of your environment
If your hearing loss is new, you may not yet have entirely adjusted. Ordinarily, you would hear approaching traffic before you step out into the road. Before you look in your rearview mirror, you would usually hear the oncoming sirens.
If your hearing loss is recent, or you aren’t conscious of it, you might presume that some scenarios are safe when they really aren’t. And that can be a dangerous proposition.
This lost awareness will be recovered by using hearing aids. Your decision making will be smarter and less hazardous.
10. You’ll be a positive example!
The one thing that can be even harder than change is personal growth. You’re acknowledging that things aren’t functioning properly now when you invest in a hearing aid. But you’re also attempting to better the situation.
There’s nothing wrong with that! It’s the type of thing we should all strive for! So you’re becoming a role model and a positive example when you use your hearing aids. You should be proud of yourself.
Get your hearing checked today
When you use hearing aids you will hear better and that’s the main benefit. That one’s obvious. But there are plenty of advantages to using hearing aids. This top ten list is in no way exhaustive.
You may have a totally different top ten list. No matter what benefits you look forward to the most, the first step is making an appointment with us to have your hearing checked.