In the past, hearing aids have carried a stigma. Some people simply link them with aging. The consequences?
Countless people of every age put themselves at risk from numerous health problems because they forgo getting hearing aids and decide to live with hearing loss. This is backed up by the numbers: 30 million individuals in the United States dealing with hearing loss, yet only about 15 percent of that population has ever used a hearing aid.
Additionally, younger people are suffering from hearing loss in greater numbers than ever before: a WHO report from 2015 forecasted that excessive use of headphones and overly loud music shows and festivals will cause over 1.1 billion teens and young adults to permanently injure their hearing.
Still, shifting attitudes and advanced technology have begun to frame hearing aids in a new light, and people are starting to look at them in a similar way they view eye-glasses.
Why Should You Wear Hearing Aids
There are a lots of reasons why wearing hearing aids is a good idea, some of them are surprising and some are obvious.
Several of the most common reasons are as follows:
- You can appreciate social activities and situations again
- You’ll give your brain a break
- You’re able to hear better (As we said, there were some obvious ones on the list)
- You won’t have as hard a time having conversations
- You can listen to television and music at normal volumes
- You’ll have the ability to earn more money
- You can lessen tinnitus symptoms
Are these reasons sounding beneficial to you? Even someone with slight hearing damage can find some benefit from using hearing aids.
What many people aren’t aware of is that hearing loss is connected to cognitive decline, mental health issues, and conditions like Alzheimers disease and dementia.
Research points to a few different reasons why this may occur, including that the brain becomes overtaxed and overtired because it’s always striving to comprehend sounds. It may be that the brain cells don’t get enough activation so they shrink and die, or it may be due to the leading cause of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues which is social isolation.
Hearing aids can change things for the better by letting you hear clearly and comprehend the words and sounds around you. Your brain won’t need to make use of extra resources and will be able to process sounds in a normal way, while you will begin to enjoy conversations and social experiences again because you will have a boost in confidence.
Hearing Aids Have Advanced in Technology
We told you why it’s essential for anyone with hearing loss, old or young, to use hearing aids. Now it’s time to find out how hearing aids have progressed in the past few years.
The bulky, over-the-ear hearing aids are still available for the people who like them. They do their job adequately and have advanced to the point where most of them have no problem filtering out background noises such as wind or determining which direction sound is coming from. Conversely, there are new and improved versions of hearing aids that have sophisticated technology which makes it effortless for them to fit in with today’s digital environment and are virtually invisible.
Is connecting your hearing aids to your Bluetooth devices including your tv, cellphone, or tablet something you would like to do? Then you’re in luck since the majority of modern hearing aids come equipped with Bluetooth technology that permits them to sync with many different devices. There are even higher-end models keep track of your physical health, stream music, and take calls for you. Smart hearing aids are becoming a must for anybody who has hearing impairment because just like your smartwatch and smartphone, they’re just made to do more. So now that you are ready to deal with your hearing loss and start using a hearing aid, get in touch with us for an appointment and hearing assessment.