We typically don’t appreciate how important our sense of hearing is until it’s too late. Socially, mentally and physically, our lives are improved with good hearing. If you aren’t protecting your hearing or neglecting your hearing impairment, you are compromising your overall health in ways you may not have recognized. Here are just a few of the many advantages of healthy hearing:
Enhanced Physical Health
According to a survey conducted by Hear The World Foundation, 21 percent of respondents confirmed exercising more often after getting hearing aids. Moreover, 34 percent of participants with hearing aids reported they were participating in sports activities at least once per week.
Better Mental Health
According to studies by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, hearing loss has been connected to clinical depression, as well as an increased chance of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The good news is, the use of hearing aids has been shown to help reverse or prevent many of these issues.
Stronger Relationships
Communication is important in any relationship, particularly with family and friends. Frustration, miscommunication, and ill will can come from hearing impairment. By enhancing your hearing by using hearing aids, you will be better able to engage in conversations, especially in crowded rooms, public places, or other settings with a great deal of background sound.
Improved Mental Abilities
A study released in 2016 found that hearing aids can improve brain function in people with hearing impairment. Cognition is disrupted by hearing loss as the brain utilizes extra resources trying to hear and understand.
Fewer Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids permit individuals who have experienced hearing loss to hear sounds they couldn’t hear before. Tinnitus symptoms can be masked by a hearing aid’s ability to boost stimulus between the brain and auditory pathways. Hearing aids also feature volume controls that let the wearer effectively drown out tinnitus sounds.
Decreased Fatigue
If you’re spending more energy than usual to listen to and comprehend everyday conversations, it can result in stress, sleep disturbances, tiredness, and even exhaustion. As well as helping you effectively communicate, hearing aids also help you use less energy trying to hear.
Greater Safety
You will be better able to respond to critical sounds and noises when you have healthy hearing. Sirens, alarms, cell phones, car horns, and other traffic noises identifying approaching traffic, need to be heard and hearing aids will help you do that.
Reduced Headaches
If you are afflicted by tinnitus, the condition may cause you to have headaches or even migraines which then can increase tinnitus noises. Using hearing aids can reduce the symptoms of tinnitus, and thus reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches and migraines.
Clearer Speech
To ensure your children learn fundamental language and enunciation skills, it is crucial to immediately treat any hearing loss experienced by young children who are still establishing these skills. There may be fluid in the child’s inner middle ears canal which may need a tube to be surgically implanted for drainage. A hearing aid might be necessary for more serious conditions to ensure they’re learning to talk precisely and clearly.
Adults also communicate better and have clearer articulation when they have strong hearing.
Greater Confidence in The Workplace
Successful communication is essential to doing your day-to-day work responsibilities. Not being able to hear critical conversations with your coworkers can result in misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and tasks going unfinished. The use of hearing aids can help you avoid these issues, and allow you to have greater pride and fulfillment in your career. Improved communication skills will make your relationship with your coworkers smoother also.
If you believe you’re experiencing hearing impairment and are fed up with missing essential conversations, you should speak to a hearing professional in your area immediately. They can help you determine if hearing aids will help you hear better and improve your overall health.
References
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/hearing_loss_accelerates_brain_function_decline_in_older_adults
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/in-the-journals-hearing-aids-may-help-improve-brain-function#:~:text=A%20study%20to%20be%20published,according%20to%20lead%20researcher%20Dr.