In the past, hearing aids have had a stigma. Some people simply associate them with old age. The effect?
Lots of 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 live with hearing loss. This is reinforced by the numbers: 30 million individuals in the United States dealing with hearing loss, yet only about 15 percent of that population has ever worn a hearing aid.
In addition, the youth are suffering from hearing loss in larger numbers than ever before: a WHO report from 2015 predicted that 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults would injure their hearing irreparably due to over the top use of headphones and louder and louder music shows.
Still, changing attitudes and sophisticated technology have started to frame hearing aids in a new light, and people are beginning to look at them in a similar way they view eye-glasses.
If You Need Hearing Aids, You Should Wear Them, Here’s Why
There are a ton of reasons why wearing hearing aids is a smart idea, some of them obvious and some of them surprising.
Here are some of the most common reasons:
- Conversations will be much easier
- Social activities will be more pleasant
- You won’t have to turn the TV or music up
- You’re brain won’t have to work so hard
- You can hear better (As we said, there were some obvious ones on this list)
- You’ll have the ability to earn more money
- You can lessen tinnitus symptoms
Do these sound like beneficial reasons to you? Some benefit can be gained by using hearing aids even for individuals with minor hearing loss.
What many people aren’t aware of is that hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, mental health issues, and conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
This may happen for several different reasons as reported by research, including that the brain gets overtaxed and overtired because it’s always attempting to comprehend sounds. It may be that the brain cells don’t get enough stimulation so they shrink and die, or it might be due to the number one cause of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems which is social isolation.
Hearing aids can change things for the better by letting you hear clearly and understand the words and sounds around you. Your brain can then process the sounds as it typically would without needing to use extra resources, while you will begin 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 all ages need to wear hearing aids if they require them. Now it’s time to learn how hearing aids have advanced in the past few years.
If really think you would like one of those large over the ear hearing aids, you can still get one. They also have advanced to the point that they can figure out where sound is originating from and can filter out sound adequately. However, there are more modern versions of hearing aids that have sophisticated technology which makes it easy for them to fit in with today’s digital world and are nearly invisible.
Is syncing your hearing aids up with your Bluetooth devices such as your tv, smartphone, or tablet something you would like to do? Most modern hearing aids have Bluetooth technology so you’re in luck. There are even higher-end versions keep track of your physical health, take calls for you, stream music. Smart hearing aids are becoming a must for anyone who has hearing loss because like your smartwatch and smartphone, they’re simply made to do more. Are you ready to face hearing loss and get yourself a hearing aid? Get in touch with us to find out what type of hearing aid will work best for you.