Even when it’s relatively minor, hearing loss can have a major impact on your life. There will be a dramatic change in the way you communicate with family, friends, and coworkers. Daily activities like going to the supermarket can become more difficult. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be all doom and gloom. If you use a well calibrated hearing aid, it can make a big difference.
Hearing aids improve your ability to hear, and that’s usually how most individuals think of them. And that’s true. But how is the quality of life enhanced? What further advantages will hearing aids create?
Hearing aid’s top ten benefits
We people just love creating top ten lists. When you woke up today, did you think you’d be reading a top ten list about hearing aids? Well, perhaps you did if you’ve been dealing with your hearing loss for a while.
So here are the top ten benefits of wearing hearing aids.
1. Your relationships will improve
For any relationship to be great, strong communication is essential. 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 you will have an improvement in your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. There is a strong link between relationships and hearing aids!
2. You’ll be more independent
When you’re dealing with untreated hearing loss, activities like shopping or eating out can be a real ordeal. Trying to communicate with wait staff and cashiers can be challenging when you can’t hear very well. But the entire process becomes easier when you have hearing aids. You’ll have a lot more independence when you navigate the world around you.
You’ll also be in a better position to drive safely. That’s because your hearing aids will enhance your overall situational awareness (more on that in a bit). You won’t be as anxious about doing things on your own when you can hear the world more clearly.
3. You could make more money
Consider this hypothetical scenario: if you’re attending a meeting at work and miss a lot of what’s said, you might not perform your job quite as well. This can result in diminished job prospects and being passed-up for promotions.
With your hearing aids securely in place and working properly, you’ll be able to keep up with meetings, and you won’t be as tired all the time from struggling to hear. By doing this you can have an opportunity to boost your income by increasing your ability to focus on work.
4. Your tinnitus symptoms will lessen
Tinnitus is one of those things that most people have experienced from time to time; it’s that buzzing or ringing in your ear. When you have hearing loss, tinnitus can usually be experienced much more intensely (tinnitus is sometimes more noticeable with hearing loss simply because everything else is quieter, but there could also be other reasons too).
With a hearing aid, many individuals observe that they experience decreased tinnitus symptoms. In these cases, that’s because the hearing aid is drowning out the sound of the tinnitus. But we will take relief whenever we can, right?
5. Decreased chance of cognitive decline
Hearing impairment and cognitive decline are firmly connected. For instance, untreated hearing loss can seriously increase your risk of developing dementia. Managing hearing loss appears to be helpful, though there are numerous theories as to why. That’s why it’s essential to be certain you wear your hearing aids. You could be helping your brain health!
6. You can enjoy music again
When you have hearing loss music is harder to hear clearly. That’s because hearing loss is likely to effect one wavelength of sound first, then another. Maybe you’re unable to hear low frequencies, for instance. The music you used to like, as a result, might sound… different.
You will be able to appreciate music again with your hearing aids replacing missing sound. You’ll get the high notes and the low notes, instead of just one or the other (or a muffled mess). It can be an amazing relief to hear your favorite band again.
7. You’ll get an increase in confidence
Your confidence will be boosted when you can hear better and have more successful interactions. And confidence is a wonderful thing.
This is not to say that hearing impairment should take away your confidence. We’re just saying that you might find yourself having a difficult time interacting with others, especially if your hearing loss is new.
Those interactions can become easier again with hearing aids. And when that happens, confidence will grow.
8. Your energy will be higher
If your hearing loss has been gradually progressing, your brain has probably been working overtime. The audio holes that your hearing loss is producing will try to be filled in by your brain because it doesn’t recognize that your ears aren’t working. That’s… a lot of work! And so, your brain is under persistent strain.
Your brain gets to refresh and relax when you wear a hearing aid. It will have less work to accomplish. Which means you won’t feel so continuously tired and depleted. You’ll enjoy doing the things that are inspiring for you with this increased energy.
9. Being more conscious of your surroundings will keep you safer
If your hearing loss is new, you may not yet have fully adapted. You’re used to hearing oncoming traffic before you step out into the road. You’re accustomed to hearing the emergency siren before you look in the rearview mirror.
If your hearing loss is new, or you aren’t conscious of it, you might assume that some situations are safe when they actually aren’t. And that can be a dangerous proposition.
This lost awareness will be recovered by using hearing aids. So you’ll be able to make wiser, safer choices.
10. You will set a good example!
Change can be difficult, and personal growth harder still. When you invest in a hearing aid, you’re admitting that something isn’t actually working right anymore. But you’re also attempting to better the situation.
There’s nothing wrong with that! We should all strive for this type of thing, right? So when you put in your hearing aids, you’re making yourself a positive example and role model. 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 as you can tell, there are tons of immediate benefits of hearing aids! This top ten list is in no way complete.
You may have a completely different top ten list. Scheduling an appointment with us for a hearing exam is the first step no matter what benefits you look forward to.
