In the past, hearing aids have had a stigma. Some people just correlate them with aging. What is the result?
Many people of every age put themselves at risk from quite a few health problems because they decide not to get hearing aids and decide to deal with hearing loss. The numbers reinforce this: 30 million individuals in the US suffering from hearing loss, yet only around 15 percent of that group has ever worn a hearing aid.
At the same time, an increasing number of young people are dealing with hearing loss: a WHO report from 2015 predicted that excessive use of headphones and overly loud concerts and festivals will cause over 1.1 billion teens and young adults to permanently injure their hearing.
However, changing attitudes and advanced technology have given hearing aids a new life, and pretty soon they’ll be in the same category as eye-glasses – and contact lenses, for that matter.
If You Need Hearing Aids, You Should Wear Them, This Is Why
There are a ton of reasons why you should wear hearing aids, some of them are unexpected and some are obvious.
Some of the most common reasons are as follows:
- Conversations will be much easier
- You’re able to hear better (As we said, there were some obvious ones on the list)
- You’ll have the ability to earn more money
- You won’t need to turn the music or TV up
- You can appreciate social activities and settings again
- You can reduce tinnitus symptoms
- You’re brain won’t have to work so hard
Are these reasons sounding beneficial to you? Even somebody with mild hearing damage can find some benefit from using hearing aids.
What many people don’t know is that hearing loss is connected to mental decline, mental health problems, and conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Research points to several different reasons why this may occur, including that the brain gets overtaxed and overtired because it’s always striving to comprehend sounds. It’s possible that the brain cells shrink and die because they don’t receive enough stimulation, or it could be because of the number one cause of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues which is social isolation.
Hearing aids can change things for the better by allowing you to hear clearly and comprehend the words and sounds near you. Your brain won’t need to use extra resources and will be capable of processing sounds in a standard way, while you’ll gain the ability and confidence to find enjoyment in social experiences and conversations again.
Technological Advances in Hearing Aids
By now it should be obvious why people of all ages should wear hearing aids if they need them. Now it’s time to discover how hearing aids have progressed in the past few years.
The bulky, over-the-ear hearing aids are still out there for the people who want them. They do their job acceptably and have progressed to the point where most of them don’t have a problem filtering out background sounds such as wind or determining which direction sound is coming from. However, there are more modern versions of hearing aids that have advanced technology which makes it easy for them to work with today’s digital world and are nearly invisible.
Do you want to connect your hearing aid to your cellphone, tablet, tv, or even your car’s GPS? Most modern hearing aids come with Bluetooth technology so you’re in luck. There are even higher-end models keep track of your physical health, stream music, and take calls for you. Smart hearing aids are becoming a must for anybody who has hearing loss because 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 start wearing a hearing aid, contact us for an appointment and hearing assessment.