Hearing aids, as with many other devices, are getting smarter, more inconspicuous and more stylish all the time, and just in time. The average American is older, reports The Us Census Department, as the whole population gets older, and loss of hearing is, sadly, very common, particularly in older adults. About 37.5 million adults in America say they have some hearing loss, and these numbers are rising.
Fortunately more choices for dealing with hearing loss are available due to amazing advancements in recent hearing technology. Here are just a few of the innovations coming our way.
Hearing Aids That Track Your General Health
Did you know that hearing aids can keep track of some key vital signs as well or better than a fitness tracker? Not only can it keep track of step count, how many calories were burned, the total number of steps you took and heart rate, it also checks the time between heartbeats to help find any cardiovascular issues. They are even developing technology that can measure blood pressure, oxygenation of the blood and other relevant vital signs. Hearing aids also often have other benefits, like the ability to help drown out tinnitus and will help you hear generally so that your social life will improve as well. Actually, social interaction is another metric we should pay attention to because it has been connected to your overall health. With these new hearing aids, you won’t even need a fitness device or smartwatch because the hearing aids can sync to your smartphone so you can listen to your tunes.
Streaming Made More Intelligent And Easier
As we get addicted to virtual assistants including Alexa and Siri, being connected and able to communicate with them is getting more important. Even if you defy the lure of talking directly to these assistants, Bluetooth hearing aids allow you to stream sound from any Bluetooth device like your phone or smart TV. Just consider the benefits: You can steer clear of getting yelled at for having the Volume too loud while watching this year’s Super Bowl in a room full of loud friends. The ability to directly stream music, phone calls, shows and more right to your ears not only helps you hear and appreciate them more, but it will help you handle your hearing loss inconspicuously.
Automatic Adjustments
Did you ever notice how Goodreads seems to know what type of book you like to read? Or how all your favorite kinds of things get advertised to you by Amazon? This is the power of artificial intelligence and big data. Modern hearing aids can also make changes automatically according to your reactions in the past. As an example, if you lowered the volume the last time you went to the train station, your hearing aid will remember that and turn itself down the next time you visit the train station. They are also beginning to network your hearing aids with other devices that belong to people near you in order to alert you of a possible loud noise danger nearby. Over time the hearing aids add up all this information to make recommendations and automatic corrections, so you can adjust quickly to changes in the hearing environment.
You Won’t Need to Keep Replacing Those Little Batteries
Why would you want to continuously wrestle with hearing aid batteries? You can now get rechargeable hearing aids. Even though you can do a lot to help extend the life of your hearing aids’ batteries, truth be told…it’s still annoying and pricey. Even better, they are developing technology to recharge hearing aids without even having to take them out of your ears.