Hearing loss can really effect how you live, even when it’s mild. The way you communicate with friends, coworkers, and family members can change significantly. Daily tasks like going to the grocery store can become more difficult. But it doesn’t need to have this type of negative impact on you. Quite the opposite, a well adjusted set of hearing aids can make a big difference.
Most people usually think of those advantages in a really linear sort of way: Hearing aids help you hear better. And that’s true. But how do hearing aids better quality of life? What further benefits will hearing aids deliver?
Hearing aid’s top ten advantages
We humans just love producing top ten lists. I bet you didn’t think you would be reading a top ten list about hearing aids when you got up this morning. I mean, if you’ve been aware of your hearing loss for a while… perhaps you did!
So, what are the top ten benefits associated with wearing your hearing aid? Here they are!
1. You will have improved relationships.
Great communication is crucial to any good relationship. But communication can be problematic when you have untreated hearing loss. With hearing aids, you’ll finally hear more than little bits of conversation. You’ll hear everything, you’ll get the full story, and you’ll be capable of keeping up with the conversation.
You won’t be resentful and feel left out of conversations. So your overall relationships, amongst your friends, co-workers, and loved ones, will improve. The connection between hearing aids and relationships is a strong one!
2. You’ll have greater independence
Shopping at the supermarket or going to a restaurant when you have untreated hearing loss can be an ordeal. When you can’t hear very well, communicating with cashiers and wait staff can be tricky. But with a pair of hearing aids, the entire process suddenly becomes a lot easier. You’ll have much more independence when you navigate the world around you.
You’ll also be better able to drive safely. That’s because your general situational awareness will be increased by your hearing aids. When you hear more of the world, you’ll be able to do more without any help, and you’ll be able to do it with less anxiety.
3. Better hearing could lead to higher income
Let’s toss out a hypothetical: if you’re in a meeting at work and miss a lot of what’s said, you might not execute your job quite as well. This can lead to lost promotions or even dicey job opportunities.
When you’re wearing precisely calibrated hearing aids, you will be less fatigued from struggling to hear, and keeping up with those meetings will be a lot easier. By doing this you can have an opportunity to boost your income by increasing your ability to focus on work.
4. You’ll have decreased tinnitus symptoms
Tinnitus is one of those things that the majority of individuals have experienced from time to time; it’s that buzzing or ringing in your ear. Tinnitus symptoms will frequently be more extreme and more often with hearing loss (tinnitus is sometimes louder with hearing loss simply because everything else is quieter, but there might also be other reasons too).
Many people observe that their tinnitus symptoms decrease when they use a hearing aid. The louder overall outside sound provided by the hearing aid could be, in some situations, simply drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But we will take relief whenever we can, right?
5. Lower chance of cognitive decline
Hearing impairment and cognitive issues are definitely linked. For example, untreated hearing loss can seriously increase your risk of developing dementia. There are numerous hypotheses about why this might be, but the end result is that treating your hearing loss appears to help! That’s why it’s essential to be sure you wear your hearing aids. You may be giving your brain a better chance of remaining healthy longer.
6. Music can once again be enjoyed
When you have hearing loss music is harder to hear clearly. That’s because hearing loss is likely to impact one frequency of sound first, then another. Maybe you can’t hear low frequencies, for example. The music you used to like, as a result, might sound… different.
You will be able to enjoy music again with your hearing aids filling in the missing sound. You’ll get the high notes and the low notes, instead of only one or the other (or a garbled mess). Hearing your favorite tune again can be extremely enjoyable.
7. You’ll get an increase in confidence
Being able to hear better and interact more thoroughly will give you a boost of confidence. And confidence is a great thing.
We’re not implying that you shouldn’t have confidence just because you deal with hearing loss. It’s just that, particularly if that hearing loss is new, you might suddenly find it difficult 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 happens, confidence will grow.
8. You’ll have more energy
Your brain is most likely working extra hard if your hearing loss is gradually progressing. The audio holes that your hearing loss is creating will try to be filled in by your brain because it doesn’t recognize that your ears aren’t functioning. That’s hard work. And it means that your brain is struggling (and strained) almost constantly.
Your brain gets to refresh and relax when you use a hearing aid. It will have less work to do. With this, continuous tiredness and fatigue will be reduced. You’ll enjoy doing the things that are exciting for you with this increased energy.
9. Being more aware of your surroundings will keep you safer
You might not have adapted to your hearing loss, particularly if it’s new. Ordinarily, you would hear approaching traffic before you step out into the street. You’re used to hearing the emergency siren before you look in the rearview mirror.
You might assume certain situations are safe when, because you’re unaware of your hearing loss, or you’ve disregarded it, they actually aren’t. That can put you in some very unsafe scenarios.
Hearing aids will help restore that lost awareness. 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 effectively now when you invest in a hearing aid. But you’re bettering yourself as well.
That’s a positive thing! We should all strive for this type of thing, right? So when you pop in your hearing aids, you’re making yourself a positive example and role model. (It’s fine, you can blush a bit, you deserve it.)
Schedule a hearing test right away
When you wear hearing aids you will hear better and that’s the primary benefit. That goes without saying. But there are plenty of advantages to using hearing aids. This top ten list is in no way complete.
Your top ten list might look a little different. No matter what benefits you look forward to the most, the first step is making an appointment with us to have your hearing checked.