Hearing loss can seriously effect the way you live, even when it’s mild. The way you connect with friends, coworkers, and family members can change dramatically. It can become a challenge to perform day-to-day activities like going shopping. But it doesn’t have to have this kind of negative impact on you. If you utilize a well calibrated hearing aid, it can make a huge difference.
Hearing aids help you hear better, and that’s usually how most people think of them. And that’s not untrue. But how do hearing aids improve quality of life? Just how far do the benefits of hearing aids go?
Hearing aid’s top ten benefits
It’s sort of extraordinary, isn’t it, how we can so often produce top ten lists for anything? I bet you didn’t think you would be reading a top ten list about hearing aids when you woke up this morning. Well, maybe you did if you’ve been dealing with your hearing loss for a while.
So, what are the top ten benefits associated with using your hearing aid? Here they are!
1. You will have better relationships.
For any relationship to be strong, strong communication is crucial. But communication can be challenging when you have untreated hearing loss. But when you use hearing aids, you’ll be able to hear the entire conversation without missing anything. You’ll be able to follow along with the conversation and get the whole story.
This also means you won’t feel left out of the conversation, and you won’t feel resentful that the conversations carry on without you. So your general relationships, among 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
When you have neglected hearing loss, activities like shopping or dining out can be a real ordeal. Trying to communicate with wait staff and cashiers can be challenging when you can’t hear that well. But with a set of hearing aids, the entire process suddenly becomes a lot easier. You’ll have much more independence when you navigate the world around you.
Driving will also be safer. That’s because your hearing aids will increase your all-around situational awareness (more on that later). When you hear more of the world, you’ll be capable of doing more without any help, and you’ll be able to do it with less anxiety.
3. You might make more money
Consider this hypothetical scenario: if you’re attending a meeting at work and miss half of what’s said, you might not execute your job quite as well. This can result in passed promotions or even dicey job opportunities.
With your hearing aids firmly in place and working correctly, you’ll be able to keep up with meetings, and you won’t be as tired all the time from struggling to hear. By doing this you can have a chance to boost your income by improving your ability to focus on work.
4. Your tinnitus symptoms will decrease
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. When you suffer from hearing loss, tinnitus can frequently be experienced much more powerfully (tinnitus is sometimes louder with hearing loss simply because everything else is quieter, but there could also be other reasons too).
Many individuals observe that their tinnitus symptoms ease up when they wear a hearing aid. The louder overall outside sound supplied by the hearing aid might be, in some situations, just drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But we will take relief where we can get it, right?
5. Reduced risk of mental decline
Hearing loss and cognitive issues are firmly connected. Your risk of developing dementia can be significantly increased by disregarding hearing loss, for instance. There are lots of hypotheses about why this may be, but the end result is that treating your hearing loss appears to help! That’s why it’s essential to make sure you wear your hearing aids. You could be helping your brain health!
6. You can enjoy music again
It’s hard to enjoy music, in its full entirety, when you suffer from hearing loss. That’s because hearing loss is likely to impact one frequency of sound first, then another. For instance, you might be unable to hear low frequencies. The music you used to like, consequently, might sound… different.
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 only one or the other (or a garbled mess). It can be an incredible relief to hear your favorite band again.
7. Your confidence will improve
Being able to hear better and interact more completely will boost your confidence. And confidence is a wonderful thing.
We’re not suggesting that you shouldn’t be confident simply because you have hearing loss. It’s just that, especially if that hearing loss is new, you might suddenly find it difficult to interact with others in the same ways you usually do.
A hearing aid can make those connections easier again. And when that takes place, confidence will grow.
8. Your energy will be increased
Your brain is probably working extra hard if your hearing loss is gradually progressing. The audio holes that your hearing loss is producing will try to be filled in by your brain because it doesn’t understand that your ears aren’t working. That’s hard work. And so, your brain is under persistent strain.
When you invest in a hearing aid, you’re giving your brain a chance to relax and recharge. It will have less work to do. With this, continual exhaustion and fatigue will be reduced. You’ll enjoy doing the things that are inspiring for you with this increased energy.
9. You’ll be safer and more perceptive of your environment
If your hearing loss is new, you may not yet have entirely adjusted. Ordinarily, you would hear oncoming traffic before you step out into the street. Before you look in your rearview mirror, you would usually hear the oncoming sirens.
You may presume certain situations are safe when, because you’re not aware of your hearing loss, or you’ve neglected it, they really aren’t. That can put you in some really unsafe situations.
This lost awareness will be restored by using hearing aids. Your decision making will be wiser and safer.
10. You will set a good example!
Change can be tough, and personal growth harder still. You’re acknowledging that things aren’t working effectively now when you get a hearing aid. But you’re improving yourself as well.
There’s nothing wrong with that! We should all strive for this type of thing, right? So when you put in your hearing aids, you’re making yourself a positive example and role model. You should be proud of yourself.
Schedule a hearing test right away
The primary benefit of hearing aids is that you get to enjoy hearing better. That one’s obvious. But as you know, there are boatloads of immediate advantages of hearing aids! This top ten list is certainly not exhaustive.
Your top ten list may look a little different. No matter what advantages you look forward to the most, the first step is making an appointment with us to have your hearing checked.