Even when it’s fairly mild, hearing loss can have a major impact on your life. There will be a considerable change in the way you communicate with family, friends, and coworkers. Everyday activities like going to the grocery store can become more challenging. But that doesn’t mean it has to be all doom and gloom. Quite the opposite, a well calibrated pair of hearing aids can make a huge difference.
Most individuals tend to think of those benefits in a very linear sort of way: Hearing aids help you hear better. And that’s not untrue. But how is the quality of life enhanced? What further benefits will hearing aids create?
The top ten reasons to invest in hearing aids
We people just love making top ten lists. When you got up today, did you think you’d be reading a top ten list about hearing aids? I mean, if you’ve been aware of your hearing loss for a while… perhaps you did!
So here are the top ten advantages of wearing hearing aids.
1. Your relationships will improve
For any relationship to be strong, good communication is essential. But communication can be challenging when you have neglected hearing loss. With hearing aids, you’ll finally hear more than little snippets of conversation. You’ll be able to keep up with the conversation and get the whole story.
You won’t be resentful and feel excluded from conversations. So your overall relationships, among your friends, co-workers, and family members, will improve. The connection between hearing aids and relationships is a strong one!
2. You’ll be more independent
Shopping at the grocery store or going to a restaurant when you have neglected hearing loss can be an ordeal. When you can’t hear very well, communicating with cashiers and wait staff can be tricky. But with a set of hearing aids, the entire process suddenly becomes much easier. You’ll have much more independence when you navigate the world around you.
Driving will also be less hazardous. That’s because your overall situational awareness will be improved by your hearing aids. You will be less anxious about doing things without help when you’re able to hear the world more clearly.
3. Stronger hearing could result in higher pay
Consider this hypothetical scenario: if you’re losing large portions of what’s being discussed during meetings at work, your job performance will be affected negatively. This can lead to lost promotions or even dicey job prospects.
With your hearing aids firmly in place and working properly, you’ll be able to follow along with meetings, and you won’t be so tired all the time from straining to hear. This can increase your focus on work and put you in a better position to increase your income.
4. Your tinnitus symptoms will diminish
Tinnitus is that buzzing or ringing in the ear that most of us have experienced occasionally. Tinnitus symptoms will normally be more intense and more often with hearing loss (there are a host of explanations for this, sometimes the tinnitus is just relatively louder because everything else is so quiet, for example).
With a hearing aid, many individuals note that they experience reduced tinnitus symptoms. In these circumstances, that’s because the hearing aid is overpowering the sound of the tinnitus. But we will take relief where we can get it, right?
5. Less chance of developing dementia
Hearing impairment and cognitive decline are strongly connected. Your chance of developing dementia can be seriously elevated by disregarding hearing loss, for example. Treating hearing loss appears to be helpful, though there are numerous theories as to why. That’s why it’s important to be sure you wear your hearing aids. You could be helping the health of your brain!
6. You can enjoy music again
It’s difficult to appreciate music, in its whole entirety, when you have hearing loss. That’s because hearing loss tends to effect one wavelength of sound first, then another. For instance, you might be unable to pick up low frequencies. The music you used to like, as a result, might sound… different.
You will be able to enjoy 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 muffled mess). It can be a great relief to hear your favorite band again.
7. You’ll get a boost of confidence
Your confidence will be boosted when you can hear better and have more successful interactions. And who doesn’t like confidence?
We’re not suggesting that you shouldn’t have confidence just because you have hearing loss. It’s just that, especially if that hearing loss is new, you might suddenly find it a challenge to interact with others in the same ways you always have.
A hearing aid can make those connections easier again. And when that happens, confidence will grow.
8. You’ll have more vigor
If your hearing impairment has been slowly progressing, your brain has likely been working overtime. That’s because your brain doesn’t know your ears aren’t working correctly, so it’s constantly attempting to fill in the audio holes that your hearing loss has created. That’s hard work. And so, your brain is under persistent strain.
Your brain gets to refresh and unwind when you wear a hearing aid. It will have less work to accomplish. Which means you won’t feel so constantly tired and drained. You’ll have more vitality to do the things you enjoy doing!
9. You’ll be safer and more perceptive of your surroundings
You may not have adjusted to your hearing loss, especially if it’s recent. Usually, you would hear oncoming traffic before you step out into the street. Before you look up into your rearview mirror, you would ordinarily hear the oncoming sirens.
If your hearing loss is recent, or you aren’t conscious of it, you might assume that some situations are safe when they actually aren’t. That can put you in some very unsafe situations.
This lost awareness will be recovered by using hearing aids. Your decision making will be smarter and less hazardous.
10. You will set a good example!
Change can be hard, 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 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 use your hearing aids. (It’s fine, you can blush a bit, you deserve it.)
Schedule an appointment for a hearing test right away
When you wear hearing aids you will hear better and that’s the main benefit. That one’s obvious. But there are plenty of benefits to using hearing aids. This top ten list is certainly not exhaustive.
Your top ten list might look a little different. Making an appointment with us for a hearing exam is the first step no matter what benefits you look forward to.