Over the years, hearing aids have had a stigma. Some people just associate them with aging. The consequences?
Countless people, both old and young, go without hearing aids and suffer unnecessarily from hearing loss, which itself is connected to numerous health concerns. The numbers back this up: 30 million people in the United States dealing with hearing loss, yet only around 15 percent of that population has ever worn a hearing aid.
What’s more, the youth are suffering from hearing loss in higher numbers than ever before: a WHO report from 2015 predicted that too much use of headphones and overly loud concert events and festivals will cause over 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults to permanently damage their hearing.
However, changing attitudes and sophisticated technology have begun to frame hearing aids in a new light, and people are starting to view them in a similar way they view eye-glasses.
If You Require 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 obvious and some of them surprising.
Some of the most common reasons are as follows:
- You can lessen tinnitus symptoms
- You’ll give your brain a rest
- You won’t have to turn the TV or music up
- You can appreciate social activities and settings again
- You’ll increase your earning power
- One of the obvious reasons would be that you can hear better
- You won’t struggle as much having conversations
Do these seem like beneficial reasons to you? Some benefit can be gained by wearing hearing aids even for people with mild hearing loss.
What many people don’t know is that hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, mental health issues, and conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
This could happen for a number of different reasons based on recent studies, this involves the overworking of the brain as it battles to comprehend sounds that it hears. it could be that the brain cells shrink and die because they don’t receive enough stimulation, or it could be due to the leading cause of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues which is social isolation.
Hearing aids can change things for the better by letting you hear clearly and comprehend the words and sounds around you. Your brain won’t need to use additional resources and will be capable of processing sounds in a normal way, while you will start to enjoy conversations and social activities again because you will have a boost in confidence.
Hearing Aids Have Advanced in Sophistication
By now it should be apparent why people of any age should use hearing aids if they require them. Now it’s time to discover how hearing aids have advanced in the last few years.
If really think you would like one of those big over the ear hearing aids, you can still get one. They also have advanced to the point that they can determine where sound is originating from and can filter out sound effectively. Conversely, there are new and improved versions of hearing aids that are almost invisible, yet contain a lot of technology to fit in with today’s digital environment.
Is connecting your hearing aids to your Bluetooth devices including your tv, phone, or tablet something you would like 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 phone 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 smartphone or smartwatch, they’re just created to do more. So now that you are ready to deal with your hearing loss and begin wearing a hearing aid, contact us for an appointment and hearing assessment.