Even when it’s somewhat minor, hearing loss can have a major impact on your life. There will be a considerable change in the way you connect with loved ones, friends, and coworkers. Daily tasks like going to the grocery store can grow more challenging. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be all doom and gloom. If you utilize a well calibrated hearing aid, it can make a huge difference.
Most people normally think of those advantages in a very linear sort of way: Hearing aids help you hear better. And that’s true. But how do hearing aids better quality of life? Just how far do the advantages of hearing aids go?
The top ten reasons to invest in hearing aids
We people just love creating top ten lists. When you woke up today, did you think you’d be reading a top ten list about hearing aids? Well, perhaps you did if you’ve been coping with your hearing loss for a while.
So, what are the top ten benefits associated with using your hearing aid? Here they are!
1. Your relationships will improve
For any relationship to be great, strong communication is indispensable. But when you have neglected hearing loss, communication can be challenging. But when you wear 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 continue without you. So your overall relationships, among your friends, co-workers, and loved ones, will improve. The link between hearing aids and relationships is a powerful one!
2. You’ll be more independent
Shopping at the grocery store or going to a restaurant when you have neglected hearing loss can feel like an ordeal. Trying to communicate with wait staff and cashiers can be tricky when you can’t hear very well. But the whole process gets easier when you have hearing aids. 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 overall situational awareness (more on that in a bit). When you hear more of the world, you’ll be able to do more by yourself, and you’ll be able to do it with less anxiety.
3. You could make more money
Think about this hypothetical scenario: if you’re in a meeting at work and miss half of what’s discussed, you may not do your job quite as well. This can result in lost promotions or even dicey job prospects.
When you’re wearing precisely tuned hearing aids, you will be less fatigued from straining to hear, and keeping up with those meetings will be much easier. By doing this you can have an opportunity to boost your income by improving your ability to focus on work.
4. Your tinnitus symptoms will diminish
Tinnitus is that buzzing or ringing in the ear that most of us have experienced occasionally. When you suffer from hearing loss, tinnitus can often 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).
With a hearing aid, many individuals note that they experience reduced tinnitus symptoms. The louder overall outside sound supplied by the hearing aid could be, in some cases, simply drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But we will take relief whenever we can, right?
5. Less chance of developing dementia
There is a firm link between mental decline and hearing loss. For instance, untreated hearing loss can significantly elevate your chance of developing dementia. There are numerous hypotheses about why this may be, but the end result is that treating your hearing loss seems to be helpful! That’s why it isn’t a good idea to forget to put in your hearing aid. You could be helping your brain health!
6. Music can once again be enjoyed
It’s tough to appreciate music, in its full entirety, when you have hearing impairment. That’s because hearing loss tends to impact one frequency of sound first, then another. For instance, you may be unable to pick up low frequencies. The music you used to like, as a result, might sound… different.
With your hearing aids, however, those missing gaps in the music will be filled in, and you can enjoy music again! 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 amazing relief to hear your favorite tune again.
7. Your confidence will improve
Being able to hear better and interact more completely will boost your confidence. And who doesn’t want confidence?
We’re not implying that you shouldn’t have confidence just because you have hearing loss. It’s just that, particularly if that hearing loss is recent, you could 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. You’ll have more energy
If your hearing loss has been slowly advancing, your brain has probably been working overtime. The audio gaps 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 it means that your brain is working (and strained) almost all the time.
When you get a hearing aid, you’re giving your brain a chance to slow down and refresh. It will have less work to do. Which means you won’t feel so constantly 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, especially if it’s recent. You’re used to being able to hear oncoming traffic before you step out into the road. Before you look in 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 presume that some scenarios are safe when they really aren’t. And that can be a dangerous proposition.
Hearing aids will help reestablish that lost awareness. Your decision making will be smarter and less hazardous.
10. You will set a good example!
Change can be tough, and personal growth still harder. When you get a hearing aid, you’re acknowledging that something isn’t actually working properly anymore. But you’re also attempting to improve the situation.
That’s a positive 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.
Have your hearing checked as soon as you can
When you wear hearing aids you will hear better and that’s the principal advantage. That one’s obvious. But as you can tell, there are boatloads of immediate benefits of hearing aids! This top ten list is only that, one little list of just ten of these advantages.
You may have a completely different top ten list. No matter what advantages you look forward to the most, the first step is scheduling an appointment with us to have your hearing tested.