In the past, hearing aids have carried a stigma. If you wear one, people may think of you as old. What is the consequence?
Countless people, both old and young, go without hearing aids and suffer needlessly from hearing loss, which itself is connected to numerous health concerns. This is backed up by the numbers: 30 million people in the United States dealing with hearing loss, yet only around 15 percent of that group has ever used a hearing aid.
At the same time, more and more young people are coping with hearing loss: a WHO report from 2015 forecasted that 1.1 billion teens and young adults would injure their hearing permanently due to excessive use of headphones and extremely loud music events.
Still, developing technology and shifting perceptions have begun to frame hearing aids in a new light, and people are beginning to view them in a similar way they view eye-glasses.
If You Need Hearing Aids, You Should Use Them, Here’s Why
There are a lots of reasons why wearing hearing aids is a smart idea, some of them are surprising and some are obvious.
Here are several of the most common reasons:
- Conversations will be a lot smoother
- Social activities will be more satisfying
- You’ll be able to hear better (As noted, there were some obvious ones on this list)
- You’ll give your brain a break
- You can reduce tinnitus symptoms
- You won’t need to turn the music or TV up
- You’ll have the ability to earn more money
Do these sound like beneficial reasons to you? Even a person with slight hearing damage can find some advantage from wearing hearing aids.
What many people don’t know is that hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, mental health problems, and conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
This may occur for a few different reasons as reported by research, this involves the overworking of the brain as it battles to comprehend sounds that it hears. It could be that the brain cells don’t receive enough activation so they shrink and die, or it could be because of the number one cause of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems which is social isolation.
By letting you hear words and sounds around you more clearly, hearing aids can help lessen these problems. Your brain can then process the sounds as it typically would without needing to use extra resources, while you will begin to enjoy conversations and social activities again because you will have a boost in confidence.
Hearing Aids Have Advanced in Technology
By now it should be apparent why people of any age should wear hearing aids if they need them. Now it’s time to find out how hearing aids have advanced in the past few years.
If really want one of those large over the ear hearing aids, you can still purchase one. They perform their function acceptably and have advanced to the point where the majority of them don’t have a problem filtering out background sounds such as wind or determining which direction sound comes from. However, there are new and improved versions of hearing aids that are virtually unnoticeable, yet pack quite a lot of technology to fit in with today’s digital world.
Is connecting your hearing aids to your Bluetooth devices like your tv, phone, or tablet something you would want to do? Most modern-day hearing aids have Bluetooth technology so you’re in luck. There are even higher-end models that can automatically take and make calls for you, keep track of your physical activity, and stream music. Smart hearing aids are becoming a must for anyone who has hearing loss because much like your smartwatch and smartphone, they’re simply created to do more. So now that you’re ready to deal with your hearing loss and begin wearing a hearing aid, consult with us for an appointment and hearing assessment.