Even when it’s somewhat minor, hearing loss can have a huge impact on your life. There will be a considerable change in the way you communicate with family, friends, and coworkers. It can become a challenge to complete daily tasks such as going shopping. But it doesn’t have to have this type of negative affect on you. Quite the opposite, a well adjusted pair of hearing aids can make a big difference.
Most people normally think of those benefits in a really linear sort of way: Hearing aids help you hear better. And that’s not untrue. But how do hearing aids improve quality of life? Just how far do the advantages of hearing aids go?
The top ten reasons to get hearing aids
We people just love creating top ten lists. When you got up today, did you think you’d be reading a top ten list about hearing aids? Well, maybe you did if you’ve been coping with your hearing loss for a while.
So, what are the top ten benefits linked to using your hearing aid? Here they are!
1. You will have better relationships.
For any relationship to be strong, good communication is indispensable. But communication can be difficult when you have untreated hearing loss. But when you use hearing aids, you’ll be able to hear the entire conversation without missing anything. You’ll be able to keep up with the conversation and get the entire story.
You won’t be resentful and feel left out of conversations. So your general relationships, among your friends, co-workers, and family members, will improve. The link between hearing aids and relationships is a strong one!
2. You’ll have more independence
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 all that well, communicating with wait staff or cashiers can be tricky. But the overall process becomes easier when you use hearing aids. You’ll have a lot more independence when you navigate the world around you.
You’ll also be better able to drive safely. That’s because your overall situational awareness will be enhanced 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. Better hearing may lead to higher income
Let’s throw out a hypothetical: if you’re missing large portions of what’s being discussed during meetings at work, your work performance will suffer. This can result in lost promotions or even dicey job prospects.
With your hearing aids securely in place and working properly, you’ll be able to follow along with meetings, and you won’t be as tired all the time from straining to hear. This can boost your focus on work and put you in a stronger position to increase your income.
4. Your tinnitus symptoms will decrease
Tinnitus is that buzzing or ringing in the ear that the majority of us have experienced occasionally. When you have hearing loss, tinnitus can usually be experienced much more intensely (there are a host of reasons for this, sometimes the tinnitus is just relatively noisier because everything else is so quiet, for example).
Many individuals report that their tinnitus symptoms ease up when they wear a hearing aid. The louder overall outside sound supplied by the hearing aid may be, in some cases, just drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But we will take relief whenever we can, right?
5. Decreased chance of mental decline
There is a firm link between cognitive decline and hearing loss. Your chance of developing dementia can be seriously elevated by ignoring hearing loss, for instance. There are lots of hypotheses about why this might be, but the end result is that treating your hearing loss seems to help! That’s why it’s important to be sure you use your hearing aids. You may be giving your brain a greater chance of remaining healthy longer.
6. You can appreciate music again
When you suffer from hearing loss music is harder to hear clearly. That’s because hearing loss tends to impact one wavelength of sound first, then another. For example, you may be unable to pick up low frequencies. Because of this, the song you used to enjoy might just sound… weird.
You will be able to appreciate 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 garbled mess). It can be an amazing relief to hear your favorite tune again.
7. You’ll get an increase in confidence
Being able to hear better and interact more thoroughly will give you a boost of confidence. And confidence is a wonderful thing.
We’re not implying that you shouldn’t have confidence simply because you deal with hearing loss. It’s just that, especially if that hearing loss is new, you may suddenly find it a challenge to interact with people in the same ways you always have.
Those connections can become easier again with hearing aids. And that can lead to a boost in confidence.
8. Your energy will be increased
Your brain is probably working extra hard if your hearing loss is gradually progressing. That’s because your brain doesn’t realize your ears aren’t working right, so it’s continuously attempting to fill in the audio gaps that your hearing impairment has produced. That’s hard work. And so, your brain is under continual strain.
Your brain gets to refresh and unwind when you use a hearing aid. It will have less work to do. With this, continual exhaustion and fatigue will be reduced. You’ll have more energy to do the things you love to do!
9. You’ll be safer and more aware of your environment
If your hearing loss is recent, you might not yet have completely adjusted. Ordinarily, you would hear oncoming traffic before you step out into the road. Before you look in your rearview mirror, you would usually hear the oncoming sirens.
You may assume certain situations are safe when, because you’re not aware of your hearing loss, or you’ve neglected it, they really aren’t. That can put you in some very dangerous scenarios.
Hearing aids will help regain that lost awareness. Your decision making will be wiser and safer.
10. You will set a good example!
Change can be difficult, and personal growth harder still. You’re acknowledging that things aren’t working properly now when you invest in a hearing aid. But you’re also attempting to improve the situation.
There’s nothing wrong with that! It’s the kind of thing we should all work for! So when you pop in your hearing aids, you’re making yourself a positive example and role model. You should be proud of yourself.
Schedule an appointment for a hearing test right away
The main advantage of hearing aids is that you get to enjoy hearing better. That goes without saying. But as you can tell, there are tons of immediate benefits of hearing aids! This top ten list is by no means exhaustive.
Your top ten list might look a little different. Scheduling an appointment with us for a hearing assessment is the first step no matter what benefits you look forward to.