Even when it’s somewhat minor, hearing loss can have a huge impact on your life. There will be a dramatic change in the way you connect with family, friends, and coworkers. Everyday activities like going to the grocery store can become more difficult. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be all doom and gloom. Quite the opposite, a well adjusted pair of hearing aids can make a huge difference.
Hearing aids help you hear better, and that’s normally 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?
Hearing aid’s top ten benefits
We people 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. Well, perhaps you did if you’ve been coping with your hearing loss for a while.
So here are the top ten advantages of using hearing aids.
1. Your relationships will get better
Strong communication is critical to any great relationship. But communication can be problematic when you have neglected 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 entire story.
You won’t be resentful and feel excluded from conversations. So your general relationships, amongst your friends, co-workers, and loved ones, will improve. The connection between hearing aids and relationships is a powerful one!
2. You’ll have more independence
Shopping at the supermarket or going to a restaurant when you have neglected hearing loss can feel like an ordeal. Trying to communicate with wait staff and cashiers can be challenging when you can’t hear very well. But with a set of hearing aids, the whole process suddenly becomes much easier. You can get around much 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). When you hear more of the world, you’ll be able to do more without any help, and you’ll be able to do it with less anxiety.
3. You might make more money
Consider this hypothetical situation: if you’re missing large portions of what’s being talked about during meetings at work, your job performance will be affected negatively. This can result in passed promotions or even dicey job opportunities.
When you’re wearing properly calibrated hearing aids, you will be less fatigued from struggling to hear, and keeping up with those meetings will be much easier. This can boost your focus on work and put you in a better position to grow your income.
4. You’ll have diminished tinnitus symptoms
Tinnitus is that buzzing or ringing in the ear that most of us have experienced occasionally. Tinnitus symptoms will frequently be more intense and frequent with hearing loss (there are a host of explanations for this, sometimes the tinnitus is just relatively noisier because everything else is so quiet, for instance).
With a hearing aid, many individuals note that they experience decreased tinnitus symptoms. The louder overall external sound supplied by the hearing aid might be, in some situations, just drowning out the tinnitus symptoms. But we will take relief whenever we can, right?
5. Reduced chance of mental decline
Hearing impairment and cognitive decline are firmly linked. For instance, neglected hearing loss can seriously raise your chance of developing dementia. There are many hypotheses about why this may be, but the end result is that managing your hearing loss appears to be helpful! That’s why it’s not a good idea to forget to wear your hearing aid. You could be helping your brain health!
6. Music can once again be enjoyed
When you have hearing loss music is more difficult to hear clearly. That’s because one wavelength of sound usually goes before the others. For example, you might be unable to hear low frequencies. As a result, the song you once enjoyed may just sound… weird.
With your hearing aids, though, those missing gaps in the music will be filled in, and you can appreciate music again! You’ll hear all of the frequencies and your music won’t sound so garbled. It can be an amazing relief to hear your favorite song again.
7. You’ll get a boost of confidence
Your confidence will be enhanced when you can hear better and have more effective interactions. And confidence is a great thing.
We’re not implying that you shouldn’t be confident just because you have hearing loss. We’re just saying that you may find yourself having a hard time interacting with others, particularly if your hearing loss is new.
Those connections can become easier again when you use hearing aids. And when that takes place, confidence will grow.
8. You’ll have more vigor
Your brain is most likely working overtime if your hearing loss is slowly progressing. That’s because your brain doesn’t recognize your ears aren’t working correctly, so it’s continuously attempting to fill in the audio gaps that your hearing impairment has produced. That’s hard work. And so, your brain is under constant strain.
Your brain gets to recharge and unwind when you use a hearing aid. It won’t need to work so hard. With this, persistent tiredness and fatigue will be reduced. You’ll enjoy doing the things that are exciting for you with this enhanced energy.
9. Being more aware of your surroundings will keep you safer
You might not have adjusted to your hearing loss, particularly if it’s recent. Normally, you would hear oncoming traffic before you step out into the street. You’re accustomed to hearing the emergency siren before you check the rearview mirror.
If your hearing loss is recent, or you aren’t aware of it, you may presume that some scenarios are safe when they really aren’t. And that can be a dangerous proposition.
This lost awareness will be recovered by using hearing aids. So you’ll be capable of making wiser, safer decisions.
10. You’ll be a positive example!
The one thing that can be even harder than change is personal growth. You’re acknowledging that things aren’t functioning effectively now when you invest in a hearing aid. But you’re bettering yourself as well.
There’s nothing wrong with that! It’s the type of thing we should all work for! So you’re becoming a role model and a positive example when you use your hearing aids. You should be proud of yourself.
Get your hearing tested as soon as you can
The primary advantage of hearing aids is that you get to enjoy hearing better. That goes without saying. But as you know, there are tons of immediate benefits of hearing aids! This top ten list is certainly not complete.
You might have a totally different top ten list. Scheduling an appointment with us for a hearing test is the first step no matter what benefits you look forward to.
