Hearing aids, like lots of other devices, are getting smarter, less conspicuous and cooler every day, and just in time. The U.S. census reports that the average American is older as the population as a whole continues to age, and loss of hearing is, sadly, very common, especially in older adults. About 37.5 million American adults say they have some hearing loss, and these numbers are increasing.
Luckily more choices for treating loss of hearing are available due to amazing advancements in recent hearing technology. Here are just a few of the innovations that are now available.
Hearing Aids That Track Your Overall Health
Did you realize that hearing aids can keep track of several important vital signs as well or better than a fitness tracker? Not only can it track step count, how many calories were burned, the total number of steps you took and heart rate, it also checks the time in between heartbeats to help detect any cardiovascular worries. They are even working on technology that can determine blood pressure, oxygenation of the blood and other significant vital signs. Hearing aids also often have other pluses, like the ability to help drown out tinnitus and will help your overall hearing so that your social life will improve as well. Actually, social engagement is another metric we should look at because it has been connected to your overall health. Since hearing aids can now also sync with your smartphone so you can listen to your songs, you won’t even need a smartwatch or fitness device?
Streaming Made Smarter And Simpler
As we get addicted to virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri, staying connected and able to communicate with them is becoming more important. Even if talking to these assistants is not your thing, Bluetooth hearing aids allow you to stream sound from any Bluetooth device including your phone or smart TV. Imagine the benefits of this: You can avoid getting yelled at for having the Volume too loud while watching this year’s Big Game in a room full of loud friends. Being able to directly stream phone calls, music, shows and more right to your ears not only helps you hear and enjoy them more, but it will also help you handle your hearing loss discreetly.
Automatic Adjustments
Ever notice how Goodreads seems to know what kind of book you like to read? Or how all your favorite kinds of things get promoted to you by Amazon? That’s because big data and artificial intelligence are very powerful. The latest hearing aids can also make changes automatically according to your reactions in the past. For example, if you turned down the volume the last time you visited the train station, your hearing aid will remember that and turn itself down the next time you go into the train station. They are also beginning to network your hearing aids with other devices belonging to people near you in order to warn you of a potential loud noise danger nearby. Over time you will be able to quickly adjust to variations in the hearing environment because your hearing aid will make recommendations based on all the information it has gathered.
No More Little Batteries to Change.
Who wants to constantly struggle with hearing aid batteries? You can now get rechargeable hearing aids. While you can do a lot to help extend the life of your hearing aids’ batteries, let’s be honest…it’s still costly and frustrating. What’s better, they are working on technology to recharge hearing aids without even having to take them out of your ears.
