Even when it’s relatively minor, hearing loss can have a big impact on your life. There will be a dramatic change in the way you interact with loved ones, friends, and coworkers. It can become challenging to accomplish day-to-day tasks like going shopping. But it doesn’t have to have this kind of negative affect on you. If you use a well adjusted hearing aid, it can make a huge difference.
Most people normally think of those benefits in a very linear sort of way: Hearing aids help you hear better. And that’s not untrue. But how do hearing aids better quality of life? What further advantages will hearing aids create?
Hearing aid’s top ten advantages
We people just love creating top ten lists. I bet you didn’t think you would be reading a top ten list about hearing aids when you woke up this morning. Well, maybe you did if you’ve been coping with your hearing loss for a while.
So here are the top ten benefits of using hearing aids.
1. You will have better relationships.
For any relationship to be great, strong communication is essential. But communication can be challenging when you have neglected hearing loss. But when you wear hearing aids, you’ll be capable of hearing the whole conversation without losing anything. 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. The link 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’re dealing with neglected hearing loss can be an ordeal. When you can’t hear all that well, communicating with cashiers and wait staff can be tricky. But the overall process becomes easier when you use hearing aids. You’ll have much more independence when you navigate the world around you.
Driving will also be less hazardous. That’s because your hearing aids will increase your all-around situational awareness (more on that later). When you hear more of the world, you’ll be capable of doing more on your own, and you’ll be able to do it without as much anxiety.
3. You might make more money
Let’s chuck out a hypothetical: if you’re attending a meeting at work and miss half of what’s said, you might not execute your job adequately. This can result in passed promotions or even dicey job opportunities.
When you’re wearing properly tuned hearing aids, you will be less fatigued from struggling to hear, and keeping up with those meetings will be much easier. This can increase your focus on work and put you in a stronger position to increase your income.
4. You’ll have reduced tinnitus symptoms
Tinnitus is that ringing or buzzing in the ear that most of us have experienced now and then. When you have hearing loss, tinnitus can usually be felt much more powerfully (there are a host of explanations for this, sometimes the tinnitus is just relatively louder because everything else is so quiet, for instance).
With a hearing aid, many individuals observe that they experience diminished tinnitus symptoms. The louder overall external sound supplied by the hearing aid may be, in some cases, just drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But relief is relief.
5. Reduced chance of mental decline
Hearing loss and cognitive issues are strongly linked. For instance, untreated hearing loss can significantly increase your risk of developing dementia. Treating hearing loss appears to be helpful, although there are many theories as to why. That’s why it isn’t a good idea to forget to wear your hearing aid. You may be giving your brain a greater chance of remaining healthy longer.
6. You can enjoy music again
It’s hard to appreciate music, in its whole entirety, when you suffer from hearing loss. That’s because one wavelength of sound usually goes before the others. Maybe you’re unable to hear low frequencies, for instance. As a result, the song you once enjoyed may just sound… weird.
You will be able to appreciate music again with your hearing aids replacing missing sound. You’ll hear all of the frequencies and your music won’t sound so muffled. Hearing your favorite band again can be incredibly enjoyable.
7. Your confidence will improve
Your confidence will be boosted when you can hear better and have more successful interactions. And who doesn’t want confidence?
We’re not suggesting 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 could suddenly find it difficult to interact with people in the same ways you usually do.
A hearing aid can make those interactions easier again. And that can lead to improved confidence.
8. Your vitality will be increased
If your hearing impairment has been slowly advancing, your brain has probably been working harder. The audio gaps that your hearing loss is producing will try to be filled in by your brain because it doesn’t know that your ears aren’t working. That’s… a lot of work! And it means that your brain is working (and strained) almost constantly.
Your brain gets to refresh and relax when you wear a hearing aid. It will have less work to do. With this, constant exhaustion and weariness will be reduced. You’ll enjoy doing the things that are stimulating for you with this increased energy.
9. You’ll be safer and more perceptive of your surroundings
If your hearing loss is recent, you may not yet have completely adapted. You’re used to being able to hear traffic before you step out into the street. Before you look in your rearview mirror, you would usually hear the oncoming sirens.
If your hearing loss is recent, or you aren’t conscious of it, you might presume that some situations are safe when they really aren’t. And that can be a hazardous proposition.
This lost awareness will be restored by using hearing aids. Your decision making will be wiser and safer.
10. You’ll be a positive example!
The one thing that can be even more difficult than change is personal growth. When you invest in a hearing aid, you’re admitting that something isn’t actually working properly anymore. But you’re bettering yourself as well.
There’s nothing wrong with that! We should all strive for this type of thing, right? So you’re becoming a role model and a positive example when you wear your hearing aids. You should be proud of yourself.
Have your hearing checked as soon as you can
The main benefit of hearing aids is that you get to experience hearing better. That one’s obvious. But as you know, there are tons of immediate benefits of hearing aids! This top ten list is in no way complete.
You might have an entirely different top ten list. Scheduling an appointment with us for a hearing exam is the first step no matter what benefits you look forward to.
