Even when it’s somewhat minor, hearing loss can have a huge impact on your life. The way you interact with friends, coworkers, and family members can change drastically. Everyday tasks like going to the grocery store can become more difficult. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be all doom and gloom. On the contrary, a well adjusted pair of hearing aids can make a huge difference.
Hearing aids improve your ability to hear, and that’s generally how most people think of them. And that’s true. But how is the quality of life improved? Just how far do the benefits of hearing aids go?
Hearing aid’s top ten advantages
It’s kind of fascinating, isn’t it, how we can so frequently come up with top ten lists for everything? When you woke 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… maybe you did!
So, what are the top ten benefits linked to using your hearing aid? Here they are!
1. You will have better relationships.
For any relationship to be strong, strong communication is indispensable. But when you have neglected hearing loss, communication can be challenging. With hearing aids, you’ll finally hear more than little bits of conversation. You’ll be able to keep up with the conversation and get the entire story.
This also means you won’t feel excluded from the conversation, and you won’t feel resentful that the conversations carry on without you. So your overall relationships, among your friends, co-workers, and family members, will improve. There is a strong link between relationships and hearing aids!
2. You’ll be more independent
When you’re dealing with untreated hearing loss, activities such as shopping or eating out can be a real ordeal. When you’re unable to hear all that well, communicating with cashiers and wait staff can be difficult. But with a set of hearing aids, the entire process suddenly becomes much easier. You can navigate much more independently.
Driving will also be safer. That’s because your overall situational awareness will be enhanced by your hearing aids. 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. Better hearing may lead to higher income
Consider this hypothetical situation: if you’re missing large parts of what’s being talked about during meetings at work, your job performance will suffer. This can result in passed promotions or even dicey job opportunities.
When you’re wearing precisely tuned hearing aids, you will be less exhausted from straining to hear, and following along with those meetings will be a lot easier. 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 diminish
Tinnitus is one of those things that the majority of individuals have experienced from time to time; it’s that ringing or buzzing in your ear. Tinnitus symptoms will usually be more intense and more often with hearing loss (tinnitus is sometimes more noticeable with hearing loss simply because everything else is quieter, but there could also be other reasons as well).
With a hearing aid, many individuals note that they experience diminished tinnitus symptoms. In these instances, that’s because the hearing aid is overpowering the sound of the tinnitus. But relief is relief.
5. Less chance of developing dementia
There is a solid connection between cognitive decline and hearing impairment. Your chance of developing dementia can be significantly elevated by neglecting hearing loss, for example. There are many theories about why this might be, but the bottom line is that treating your hearing loss seems to be helpful! That’s why it isn’t a good idea to forget to wear your hearing aid. You may be giving your brain a greater chance of staying healthy longer.
6. Music can once again be appreciated
It’s difficult to appreciate music, in its full entirety, when you have hearing impairment. That’s because hearing loss tends to effect one frequency of sound first, then another. Maybe you can’t hear low frequencies, for instance. Because of this, the song you used to enjoy may just sound… strange.
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 just one or the other (or a garbled mess). It can be a great relief to hear your favorite band again.
7. You’ll get an increase in confidence
Your confidence will be enhanced when you can hear better and have more effective interactions. And who doesn’t like confidence?
We’re not suggesting that you shouldn’t be confident just because you deal with hearing loss. It’s just that, especially if that hearing loss is new, you might suddenly find it a challenge to interact with people in the same ways you always have.
A hearing aid can make those connections easier again. And when that takes place, confidence will improve.
8. Your vitality will be higher
Your brain is most likely working extra hard if your hearing loss is gradually advancing. That’s because your brain doesn’t know your ears aren’t working right, so it’s constantly attempting to fill in the audio gaps that your hearing impairment has created. That’s… a lot of work! And it means that your brain is struggling (and strained) almost constantly.
When you invest in a hearing aid, you’re giving your brain the opportunity to slow down and refresh. It will have less work to do. With this, continuous tiredness and fatigue will be lessened. You’ll have more vitality to do the things you love to do!
9. Being more mindful of your surroundings will keep you safer
You may not have adapted to your hearing loss, particularly if it’s new. 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 recent, or you aren’t conscious of it, you may presume that some scenarios are safe when they really aren’t. And that can be a dangerous proposition.
Hearing aids will help restore that lost awareness. So you’ll be able to make smarter, safer decisions.
10. You will set a good example!
Change can be difficult, and personal growth harder still. When you get a hearing aid, you’re acknowledging that something isn’t necessarily working right anymore. But you’re also attempting to better the situation.
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 use your hearing aids. (It’s fine, you can blush a bit, you deserve it.)
Get your hearing checked as soon as you can
When you wear hearing aids you will hear better and that’s the primary benefit. That goes without saying. But there are lots of benefits to using hearing aids. This top ten list is in no way complete.
You might have a totally different top ten list. Making an appointment with us for a hearing assessment is the first step no matter what benefits you look forward to.