Over the years, hearing aids have had a stigma. If you wear one, people may think of you as aging. The consequences?
Countless people, both young and old, forgo hearing aids and suffer unnecessarily from hearing loss, which itself is connected to a number of health problems. This is reinforced by the numbers: 30 million people in the US suffering from hearing loss, yet only about 15 percent of that group has ever worn a hearing aid.
In addition, the youth are suffering from hearing loss in higher numbers than they ever have: a WHO report from 2015 forecasted that 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults would injure their hearing permanently due to excessive use of headphones and louder and louder music events.
Still, shifting attitudes and sophisticated technology have started to frame hearing aids in a new light, and people are starting to view them in a similar way they look at eye-glasses.
If You Need Hearing Aids, You Should Wear Them, Here’s Why
There are a ton of reasons why you should use hearing aids, some of them are surprising and some are obvious.
Here are some of the most common reasons:
- You can lessen tinnitus symptoms
- You can enjoy social activities and situations again
- You’ll give your brain a rest
- You’ll be able to earn more money
- You won’t have as hard a time having conversations
- You can hear better (As we said, there were some obvious ones on the list)
- You can listen to music and television at safe volumes
Do these seem like beneficial reasons to you? Even somebody with slight hearing loss can get some benefit from using hearing aids.
What many people don’t know is that hearing loss is associated with mental decline, mental health problems, and conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
This could occur for several different reasons based on research, including that the brain gets overtaxed and overtired because it’s always attempting to comprehend sounds. It could be that the brain cells don’t receive enough activation so they shrink and die, or it might be because of the leading cause of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues which is social isolation.
By letting you hear words and sounds near you more clearly, hearing aids can help lessen these problems. Your brain won’t have to make use of additional resources and will be able to process sounds in a normal way, while you’ll gain the ability and confidence to find enjoyment in social experiences and conversations again.
Hearing Aids Have Developed in Technology
By now it should be apparent why people of any age should wear hearing aids if they require them. Now we’re going to tell you about the how; for example, how hearing aid technology has advanced to the point where they’re nothing like your grandparents’ hearing aids.
The bulky, over-the-ear hearing aids are still out there for the people who want them. They do their task effectively and have advanced to the point where most of them have no problem filtering out background noises such as wind or determining which direction sound is coming from. However, there are more modern versions of hearing aids that are virtually invisible, yet pack quite a bit of technology to work with today’s digital world.
Is syncing your hearing aids up with your Bluetooth devices including your television, phone, or tablet something you would like to do? Then you’re in luck since many modern hearing aids come equipped with Bluetooth technology that permits them to connect to a variety of devices. There are even higher-end versions keep track of your physical health, stream music, and take calls for you. Hearing aids nowadays are designed to do more – much like your smartwatch and smartphone, smart hearing aids will become a must-have accessory for anybody who has hearing impairment. So now that you are ready to manage your hearing loss and start using a hearing aid, consult with us for an appointment and hearing assessment.
