Even when it’s somewhat minor, hearing loss can have a huge impact on your life. There will be a significant change in the way you connect with loved ones, friends, and coworkers. It can become a challenge to complete day-to-day tasks like going shopping. But it doesn’t have to have this type of negative impact on you. If you use a well calibrated hearing aid, it can make a big difference.
Hearing aids improve your ability to hear, and that’s typically how most individuals think of them. And that’s true. But how do hearing aids enhance quality of life? Just how far do the benefits of hearing aids go?
The top ten reasons to invest in hearing aids
We humans just love producing top ten lists. I bet you didn’t think you would be reading a top ten list about hearing aids when you got up this morning. I mean, if you’ve known about your hearing loss for a while… maybe you did!
So, what are the top ten advantages linked to using your hearing aid? Here they are!
1. Your relationships will get better
For any relationship to be strong, strong communication is crucial. But communication can be difficult when you have neglected hearing loss. With hearing aids, you’ll finally hear more than little snippets of conversation. You’ll be able to follow along with the conversation and get the whole story.
You won’t be resentful and feel left out of conversations. So your general relationships, amongst your friends, co-workers, and family members, will improve. The link between hearing aids and relationships is a powerful 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. Trying to communicate with wait staff and cashiers can be difficult when you can’t hear that well. But with a pair of hearing aids, the entire process quickly becomes a lot easier. You can navigate a lot more independently.
Driving will also be less hazardous. That’s because your hearing aids will increase your all-around situational awareness (more on that later). You won’t be as anxious about doing things without help when you’re able to hear the world more clearly.
3. Stronger hearing may result in higher income
Think about this hypothetical scenario: if you’re in a meeting at work and miss a lot of what’s discussed, you might not do your job adequately. This can lead to lost promotions or even dicey job opportunities.
When you’re wearing properly tuned hearing aids, you will be less exhausted from struggling to hear, and following along with those meetings will be a lot easier. This can improve 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 from time to time; it’s that ringing or buzzing in your ear. Tinnitus symptoms will usually be more extreme and frequent with hearing loss (tinnitus is sometimes louder with hearing loss simply because everything else is quieter, but there could also be other reasons too).
With a hearing aid, many people observe that they experience reduced tinnitus symptoms. The louder overall outside sound provided by the hearing aid may be, in some cases, simply drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But relief is relief.
5. Less chance of developing dementia
There is a solid connection between cognitive decline and hearing impairment. For instance, untreated hearing loss can seriously elevate your risk of developing dementia. There are numerous hypotheses about why this might be, but the bottom line is that managing your hearing loss appears to be helpful! That’s why it’s important to make sure you wear your hearing aids. You could be giving your brain a better chance of staying healthy longer.
6. You can appreciate music again
When you have hearing loss music is more difficult to hear clearly. That’s because hearing loss is likely to effect one frequency of sound first, then another. For instance, you may be unable to pick up low frequencies. Because of this, the song you used to enjoy may just sound… weird.
With your hearing aids, though, those missing gaps in the music will be filled in, and you can enjoy music again! You’ll hear all of the frequencies and your music won’t sound so muffled. It can be an incredible relief to hear your favorite tune again.
7. You’ll get an increase in confidence
Being able to hear better and interact more completely will give you a boost of confidence. And confidence is a wonderful thing.
This isn’t to say that hearing impairment should rob you of your confidence. We’re simply saying that you may find yourself having a difficult time interacting with others, especially if your hearing loss is new.
A hearing aid can make those interactions easier again. And when that happens, confidence will improve.
8. Your vitality will be higher
If your hearing impairment has been gradually advancing, your brain has most likely been working harder. The audio gaps that your hearing loss is creating will try to be filled in by your brain because it doesn’t understand that your ears aren’t working. That’s… a lot of work! And it means that your brain is struggling (and strained) almost continuously.
When you get a hearing aid, you’re giving your brain the opportunity to slow down and refresh. It will have less work to accomplish. With this, constant exhaustion and fatigue will be lessened. You’ll have more energy to do the things you enjoy doing!
9. Being more conscious of your surroundings will keep you safer
You might not have adapted to your hearing loss, particularly if it’s new. You’re used to hearing traffic before you step out into the road. Before you look in your rearview mirror, you would usually hear the oncoming sirens.
You might presume certain situations are safe when, because you’re unaware of your hearing loss, or you’ve neglected it, they really aren’t. That can put you in some really dangerous scenarios.
This lost awareness will be recovered by using hearing aids. So you’ll be able to make smarter, less dangerous choices.
10. You will set a good example!
Change can be tough, and personal growth still harder. When you get a hearing aid, you’re acknowledging that something isn’t necessarily working right anymore. But you’re bettering yourself too.
That’s a positive thing! We should all strive for this type of thing, right? So you’re becoming a role model and a positive example when you use your hearing aids. You should be proud of yourself.
Schedule an appointment for a hearing test right away
The biggest advantage of hearing aids is that you get to enjoy hearing better. That one’s obvious. But there are lots of advantages to using hearing aids. This top ten list is only that, one little list of just ten of these benefits.
You may have an entirely different top ten list. Scheduling an appointment with us for a hearing test is the first step no matter what advantages you look forward to.