Hearing loss can really effect the way you live, even when it’s minor. The way you communicate with friends, coworkers, and family members can change dramatically. Daily activities like going to the grocery store can become more challenging. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be all doom and gloom. Quite the opposite, a well calibrated set of hearing aids can make a huge 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 is the quality of life improved? Just how far do the advantages of hearing aids go?
Hearing aid’s top ten advantages
It’s sort of amazing, isn’t it, how people can so frequently produce top ten lists for everything? When you woke up today, did you think you’d be reading a top ten list about hearing aids? Well, maybe you did if you’ve been dealing with your hearing loss for a while.
So here are the top ten benefits of using hearing aids.
1. You will have better relationships.
Great communication is crucial to any good relationship. But communication can be challenging when you have untreated hearing loss. With hearing aids, you’ll finally hear more than little bits of conversation. You’ll be able to follow along with the conversation and get the entire story.
You won’t be resentful and feel excluded from 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 be more independent
Shopping at the grocery store or going to a restaurant when you have untreated hearing loss can feel like an ordeal. Trying to communicate with wait staff and cashiers can be difficult when you can’t hear that well. But the overall process becomes easier when you use hearing aids. You can navigate much more independently.
You’ll also be in a better position to drive safely. That’s because your hearing aids will improve your all-around situational awareness (more on that in a bit). You will be less anxious about doing things without help when you can hear the world more clearly.
3. You might make more money
Let’s chuck out a hypothetical: if you’re attending a meeting at work and miss a lot of what’s said, you may not execute your job quite as well. This can lead to passed promotions or even dicey job prospects.
With your hearing aids firmly in place and working correctly, you’ll be able to follow along with meetings, and you won’t be as tired all the time from straining to hear. This can increase your focus on work and put you in a stronger position to increase your income.
4. You’ll have decreased tinnitus symptoms
Tinnitus is one of those things that the majority of people have experienced now and again; it’s that ringing or buzzing in your ear. When you suffer from hearing loss, tinnitus can often be experienced much more powerfully (tinnitus is sometimes more noticeable with hearing loss simply because everything else is quieter, but there might also be other reasons as well).
Many individuals observe that their tinnitus symptoms ease up when they use a hearing aid. The louder overall external sound supplied by the hearing aid might be, in some situations, simply drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But we will take relief whenever we can, right?
5. Reduced risk of mental decline
Hearing loss and cognitive issues are firmly linked. For example, neglected hearing loss can significantly elevate your chance of developing dementia. Managing hearing loss seems to be helpful, though there are numerous theories as to why. That’s why it’s important to be sure you use your hearing aids. You might be giving your brain a greater chance of remaining healthy longer.
6. Music can once again be enjoyed
When you suffer from hearing loss music is harder to hear clearly. That’s because hearing loss tends to impact one wavelength of sound first, then another. Maybe you can’t hear low frequencies, for example. As a result, the song you used to enjoy might just sound… strange.
You will be able to appreciate music again with your hearing aids replacing missing sound. You’ll get the high notes and the low notes, instead of just one or the other (or a garbled mess). It can be an incredible relief to hear your favorite band again.
7. You’ll get a boost of confidence
Your confidence will be boosted when you can hear better and have more successful interactions. And who doesn’t like confidence?
This is not to say that hearing loss should rob you of your confidence. It’s just that, particularly if that hearing loss is recent, you might suddenly find it challenging to interact with others in the same ways you always have.
A hearing aid can make those interactions easier again. And when that happens, confidence will grow.
8. You’ll have more energy
If your hearing loss has been slowly advancing, your brain has probably been working harder. That’s because your brain doesn’t know your ears aren’t working correctly, so it’s constantly trying to fill in the audio gaps that your hearing loss has created. That’s… a lot of work! And so, your brain is under persistent strain.
Your brain gets to refresh and relax when you use a hearing aid. It will have less work to do. Which means you won’t feel so continuously exhausted and depleted. You’ll enjoy doing the things that are stimulating for you with this increased energy.
9. You’ll be safer and more aware of your surroundings
You may not have adapted to your hearing loss, particularly if it’s recent. Normally, you would hear approaching traffic before you step out into the road. Before you look up into your rearview mirror, you would normally hear the oncoming sirens.
You might assume certain situations are safe when, because you’re unaware of your hearing loss, or you’ve neglected it, they actually aren’t. And that can be a hazardous proposition.
This lost awareness will be restored 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. When you invest in a hearing aid, you’re accepting that something isn’t necessarily working properly anymore. But you’re also trying to improve the situation.
That’s a positive thing! It’s the kind of thing we should all strive for! So you’re acting as a role model and a positive example when you wear your hearing aids. (It’s fine, you can blush a bit, you deserve it.)
Get your hearing tested as soon as you can
When you wear hearing aids you will hear better and that’s the main advantage. That one’s obvious. But there are lots 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 tested.