Even when it’s somewhat mild, hearing loss can have a major impact on your life. The way you interact with friends, coworkers, and family members can change substantially. It can become difficult to perform day-to-day activities like going shopping. But it doesn’t need to have this type of negative impact on you. If you utilize a well adjusted hearing aid, it can make a big difference.
Hearing aids improve your ability to hear, and that’s usually how most people think of them. And that’s not untrue. But how is the quality of life improved? Just how far do the benefits of hearing aids go?
The top ten reasons to get 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 here are the top ten advantages of wearing hearing aids.
1. Your relationships will improve
For any relationship to be great, strong communication is indispensable. But communication can be problematic when you have untreated hearing loss. With hearing aids, you’ll finally hear more than little bits of conversation. You’ll be able to follow along with the conversation and get the whole story.
You won’t be resentful and feel excluded from conversations. So your overall relationships, amongst your friends, co-workers, and family members, will improve. The connection 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 untreated hearing loss can feel like an ordeal. When you’re unable to hear very well, communicating with cashiers and wait staff can be challenging. But with a pair of hearing aids, the whole process suddenly becomes much easier. You can get around a lot more independently.
You’ll also be in a better position to drive safely. That’s because your hearing aids will increase your overall 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. Better hearing could lead to higher pay
Let’s toss out a hypothetical: if you’re attending a meeting at work and miss a lot of what’s said, you might not do your job adequately. This can result in decreased job prospects and being passed-up for promotions.
When you’re wearing properly calibrated hearing aids, you will be less fatigued from struggling to hear, and following along 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. Your tinnitus symptoms will diminish
Tinnitus is one of those things that the majority of people have experienced from time to time; it’s that ringing or buzzing in your ear. When you suffer from hearing loss, tinnitus can often be felt much more intensely (there are a number of reasons for this, sometimes the tinnitus is just relatively louder 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 provided by the hearing aid could be, in some cases, simply drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But relief is relief.
5. Less chance of developing dementia
Hearing loss and cognitive issues are definitely connected. For example, untreated hearing loss can seriously increase your risk of developing dementia. Treating hearing loss appears to be helpful, even though there are numerous theories as to why. That’s why it’s essential to be sure you use your hearing aids. You may be giving your brain a better chance of remaining healthy longer.
6. Music can once again be appreciated
When you have hearing loss music is more difficult to hear clearly. That’s because one wavelength of sound normally goes before the others. For example, you might be unable to hear low frequencies. Because of this, the song you once enjoyed may just sound… weird.
You will be able to appreciate music again with your hearing aids filling in the missing sound. You’ll get the high notes and the low notes, instead of only one or the other (or a garbled mess). Hearing your favorite band again can be incredibly enjoyable.
7. You’ll get an increase in confidence
Your confidence will be boosted when you can hear better and have more effective interactions. And who doesn’t want confidence?
This isn’t to say that hearing impairment should rob you of your confidence. It’s just that, particularly if that hearing loss is recent, you may suddenly find it a challenge to interact with people in the same ways you usually do.
Those connections can become easier again with hearing aids. And that can result in improved confidence.
8. Your energy will be higher
Your brain is most likely 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 trying to fill in the audio holes that your hearing loss has created. That’s hard work. And so, your brain is under continual strain.
Your brain gets to refresh and unwind when you wear a hearing aid. It will have less work to accomplish. With this, continual exhaustion and fatigue will be reduced. You’ll have more energy to do the things you enjoy doing!
9. Being more aware of your surroundings will keep you safer
If your hearing loss is new, you might not yet have fully adjusted. Usually, you would hear oncoming traffic before you step out into the street. Before you look in your rearview mirror, you would normally hear the oncoming sirens.
If your hearing loss is new, or you aren’t aware of it, you might presume that some scenarios are safe when they actually aren’t. That can put you in some very dangerous situations.
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!
Change can be hard, and personal growth still harder. You’re acknowledging that things aren’t functioning properly now when you get a hearing aid. 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 acting as a role model and a positive example when you use your hearing aids. You should be proud of yourself.
Get your hearing tested today
The main benefit of hearing aids is that you get to enjoy hearing better. That goes without saying. But there are plenty of advantages to using hearing aids. This top ten list is just that, one little list of just ten of these advantages.
Your top ten list may look a little different. No matter what advantages you look forward to the most, the first step is scheduling an appointment with us to have your hearing checked.