Even when it’s relatively mild, hearing loss can have a major impact on your life. There will be a considerable change in the way you interact with family, friends, and coworkers. It can become challenging to accomplish day-to-day tasks such as going shopping. But it doesn’t need to have this type of negative affect on you. Quite the opposite, a well calibrated set of hearing aids can make a huge difference.
Hearing aids help you hear better, and that’s typically how most individuals think of them. And that’s not untrue. But how is the quality of life improved? Just how far do the advantages of hearing aids go?
Hearing aid’s top ten advantages
We humans just love making top ten lists. When you woke up today, did you think you’d be reading a top ten list about hearing aids? Well, maybe you did if you’ve been dealing with your hearing loss for a while.
So, what are the top ten benefits associated with wearing your hearing aid? Here they are!
1. You will have improved relationships.
For any relationship to be great, strong communication is crucial. 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 hear everything, you’ll get the full story, and you’ll be capable of keeping up with the conversation.
You won’t be resentful and feel left out of conversations. So you will have an improvement in your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. There is a strong link between relationships and hearing aids!
2. You’ll be more independent
Shopping at the grocery store or going to a restaurant when you’re dealing with neglected hearing loss can feel like an ordeal. Attempting to communicate with wait staff and cashiers can be difficult when you can’t hear that well. But the whole process gets easier when you use hearing aids. You’ll have much more independence when you navigate the world around you.
Driving will also be safer. That’s because your general situational awareness will be increased by your hearing aids. You won’t be as anxious about doing things by yourself when you’re able to hear the world more clearly.
3. You could make more money
Consider this hypothetical scenario: if you’re attending a meeting at work and miss half of what’s discussed, you might not do your job adequately. This can lead to passed promotions or even dicey job opportunities.
With your hearing aids firmly in place and working correctly, you’ll be able to follow along with meetings, and you won’t be so tired all the time from struggling to hear. This can increase your focus on work and put you in a stronger position to grow your income.
4. You’ll have decreased tinnitus symptoms
Tinnitus is one of those things that the majority of individuals have experienced at times; it’s that buzzing or ringing in your ear. When you have hearing loss, tinnitus can often be felt much more powerfully (there are a host of reasons for this, sometimes the tinnitus is only relatively louder because everything else is so quiet, for instance).
With a hearing aid, many people note that they experience diminished 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 firmly connected. Your risk of developing dementia can be significantly increased by disregarding hearing loss, for example. There are many hypotheses about why this may be, but the end result is that managing your hearing loss seems to be helpful! That’s why it’s not a good idea to forget to put in your hearing aid. You could be helping your brain health!
6. Music can once again be appreciated
It’s tough to appreciate music, in its whole entirety, when you suffer from hearing impairment. That’s because one wavelength of sound normally goes before the others. For example, you may be unable to hear low frequencies. The music you used to like, as a result, may sound… different.
With your hearing aids, however, those missing gaps in the music will be filled in, and you can appreciate music again! You’ll get the high notes and the low notes, instead of only one or the other (or a muffled mess). Hearing your favorite song again can be incredibly enjoyable.
7. Your confidence will grow
Being able to hear better and interact more completely will give you a boost of confidence. And confidence is a wonderful thing.
We’re not suggesting that you shouldn’t be confident simply because you have hearing loss. It’s just that, particularly if that hearing loss is new, you might suddenly find it difficult to interact with others in the same ways you always have.
Those connections can become easier again when you use hearing aids. And when that happens, confidence will improve.
8. You’ll have more vigor
Your brain is most likely working extra hard if your hearing loss is slowly progressing. The audio holes that your hearing loss is creating will try to be filled in by your brain because it doesn’t know that your ears aren’t functioning. That’s… a lot of work! And it means that your brain is struggling (and strained) almost constantly.
Your brain gets to refresh and relax when you use a hearing aid. It won’t have to work as hard. Which means you won’t feel so continuously tired and depleted. You’ll enjoy doing the things that are exciting for you with this enhanced energy.
9. Being more aware of your surroundings will keep you safer
You may not have adjusted to your hearing loss, particularly if it’s recent. You’re used to hearing traffic before you step out into the road. You’re accustomed to hearing the ambulance siren before you check the rearview mirror.
If your hearing loss is recent, or you aren’t conscious of it, you might assume that some situations are safe when they really aren’t. And that can be a hazardous proposition.
This lost awareness will be recovered by using hearing aids. Your decision making will be wiser and less hazardous.
10. You will set a good example!
The one thing that can be even more difficult than change is personal growth. You’re admitting that things aren’t working effectively now when you invest in a hearing aid. But you’re also trying 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 wear your hearing aids. (It’s fine, you can blush a bit, you deserve it.)
Have your hearing checked today
The biggest benefit of hearing aids is that you get to enjoy hearing better. That one’s obvious. But as you can tell, there are tons of immediate benefits of hearing aids! This top ten list is only that, one little list of only ten of these advantages.
You may have a completely different top ten list. Making an appointment with us for a hearing exam is the first step no matter what advantages you look forward to.