Hearing loss can seriously effect how you live, even when it’s mild. There will be a dramatic change in the way you interact with loved ones, friends, and coworkers. Everyday tasks like going to the supermarket can become more challenging. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be all doom and gloom. If you use a well adjusted hearing aid, it can make a huge difference.
Hearing aids improve your ability to hear, and that’s usually how most individuals think of them. And that’s true. But how is the quality of life improved? What further benefits will hearing aids deliver?
Hearing aid’s top ten advantages
It’s sort of fascinating, isn’t it, how humans can so often put together top ten lists for everything? When you got up today, did you think you’d be reading a top ten list about hearing aids? I mean, if you’ve known about your hearing loss for a while… perhaps you did!
So here are the top ten benefits of using hearing aids.
1. You will have better relationships.
Great communication is critical to any good relationship. But when you have untreated hearing loss, communication can be challenging. 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 whole story.
You won’t be resentful and feel left out of conversations. So you will have an improvement in your relationships with family members, friends, and coworkers. There is a strong link between relationships and hearing aids!
2. You’ll have more independence
Shopping at the supermarket or going to a restaurant when you have neglected hearing loss can feel like an ordeal. When you can’t hear very well, communicating with wait staff or cashiers can be challenging. But with a pair of hearing aids, the entire process suddenly becomes a lot easier. You can navigate much more independently.
Driving will also be less hazardous. That’s because your hearing aids will increase your all-around situational awareness (more on that later). You won’t be as anxious about doing things by yourself when you can hear the world more clearly.
3. Stronger hearing may lead to higher pay
Consider this hypothetical situation: if you’re attending a meeting at work and miss a lot of what’s discussed, you may not do your job quite as well. This can lead to decreased job prospects and being passed-up for promotions.
When you’re wearing precisely calibrated hearing aids, you will be less exhausted from struggling to hear, and keeping up with those meetings will be much easier. By doing this you can have an opportunity to raise your income by increasing your ability to focus on work.
4. Your tinnitus symptoms will decrease
Tinnitus is that ringing or buzzing in the ear that most of us have experienced occasionally. Tinnitus symptoms will normally be more extreme and frequent 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 individuals report that their tinnitus symptoms decrease when they wear a hearing aid. The louder overall external sound supplied by the hearing aid might be, in some cases, simply drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But relief is relief.
5. Decreased risk of cognitive decline
Hearing impairment and cognitive decline are definitely linked. For instance, neglected hearing loss can seriously elevate your risk of developing dementia. There are lots of theories about why this may be, but the bottom line is that managing your hearing loss appears to be helpful! That’s why it isn’t a good idea to forget to wear your hearing aid. You could be helping the health of your brain!
6. You can enjoy music again
It’s difficult to enjoy music, in its whole entirety, when you have hearing impairment. That’s because one wavelength of sound normally goes before the others. Maybe you’re unable to hear low frequencies, for example. As a result, the song you used to enjoy may just sound… weird.
You will be able to appreciate music again with your hearing aids replacing missing sound. You’ll hear all of the wavelengths and your music won’t sound so garbled. Hearing your favorite song again can be extremely enjoyable.
7. Your confidence will improve
Your confidence will be enhanced when you can hear better and have more effective interactions. And who doesn’t want confidence?
This is not to say that hearing loss should rob you of your confidence. We’re simply saying that you might find yourself having a hard time interacting with others, particularly if your hearing loss is new.
Those connections can become easier again with hearing aids. And when that takes place, confidence will improve.
8. Your energy will be higher
If your hearing loss has been slowly advancing, your brain has most likely been working overtime. The audio gaps that your hearing loss is creating will try to be filled in by your brain because it doesn’t understand that your ears aren’t functioning. That’s… a lot of work! And it means that your brain is working (and strained) almost continuously.
Your brain gets to refresh and relax when you use a hearing aid. It will have less work to accomplish. Which means you won’t feel so consistently tired and depleted. You’ll enjoy doing the things that are exciting for you with this enhanced energy.
9. Being more conscious of your surroundings will keep you safer
You may not have adjusted to your hearing loss, particularly if it’s recent. Usually, you would hear oncoming traffic before you step out into the street. Before you look up into your rearview mirror, you would usually hear the oncoming sirens.
If your hearing loss is new, or you aren’t aware of it, you may assume that some situations are safe when they actually aren’t. And that can be a hazardous proposition.
Hearing aids will help reestablish that lost awareness. So you’ll be able to make smarter, less dangerous choices.
10. You will set a good example!
The one thing that can be even more difficult than change is personal growth. When you get a hearing aid, you’re admitting that something isn’t actually working properly anymore. But you’re improving yourself too.
That’s a good thing! We should all strive for this type of thing, right? So you’re acting as a role model and a positive example when you wear your hearing aids. You should be proud of yourself.
Get your hearing checked today
When you wear hearing aids you will hear better and that’s the primary advantage. That goes without saying. But as you know, there are tons of immediate benefits of hearing aids! This top ten list is in no way exhaustive.
Your top ten list may look a little different. Making an appointment with us for a hearing exam is the first step no matter what advantages you look forward to.
