Over the years, hearing aids have had a stigma. Some people simply link them with aging. The consequences?
Lots of people, both old and young, go without hearing aids and suffer needlessly from hearing loss, which itself is linked to numerous health concerns. This is reinforced by the numbers: 30 million individuals in the United States suffering from hearing loss, yet only around 15 percent of that population has ever used a hearing aid.
At the same time, more and more young people are dealing with hearing loss: a WHO report from 2015 forecasted that excessive use of headphones and overly loud music shows and festivals will cause over 1.1 billion teens and young adults to permanently damage their hearing.
Still, advancing technology and changing attitudes have begun to frame hearing aids in a new light, and people are starting to look at them in a similar way they view eye-glasses.
Why Should You Wear Hearing Aids
There are a ton of reasons why you should use hearing aids, some of them are unexpected and some are obvious.
Here are some of the most common reasons:
- Social activities will be more satisfying
- You can hear better (As we said, there were some obvious ones on this list)
- You’re brain won’t need to work as hard
- Conversations will be a lot smoother
- You can lessen tinnitus symptoms
- You’ll be able to earn more money
- You can listen to music and television at normal volumes
Do these seem like good reasons to you? Even someone with slight hearing damage can get some advantage from wearing hearing aids.
What many people aren’t aware of is that hearing loss is linked to mental decline, mental health problems, and conditions like Alzheimers disease and dementia.
Studies point to several different reasons why this may happen, including that the brain gets overtaxed and overtired because it’s always striving to comprehend sounds. It might be that the brain cells don’t get enough activation so they shrink and die, or it may be linked to social isolation, which is a major cause of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.
By allowing you to hear words and sounds around you more clearly, hearing aids can help lessen these problems. Your brain won’t need to use additional resources and will be capable of processing sounds in a standard way, while you’ll gain the confidence and ability to enjoy social activities and conversations again.
Technological Developments in Hearing Aids
We told you why it’s necessary for anyone with hearing loss, old or young, to wear hearing aids. Now it’s time to discover how hearing aids have advanced in the past few years.
If really want one of those big over the ear hearing aids, you can still purchase one. They do their job effectively and have advanced to the point where most of them don’t have a problem filtering out background sounds like wind or determining which direction sound comes from. However, there are new and improved versions of hearing aids that have advanced technology which makes it easy for them to work with today’s digital world and are virtually unnoticeable.
Is connecting your hearing aids to your Bluetooth devices like your television, cellphone, or tablet something you might want to do? Most contemporary hearing aids come with Bluetooth technology so you’re in luck. There are even higher-end versions 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 impairment because just like your smartwatch and smartphone, they’re simply created to do more. So now that you’re ready to manage your hearing loss and start wearing a hearing aid, contact us for an appointment and hearing assessment.