In the past, hearing aids have had a stigma. Some people simply correlate them with aging. What is the result?
Countless people of every age put themselves at risk from quite a few health concerns because they decide not to get hearing aids and decide to deal with hearing loss. This is backed up 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.
Also, an increasing number of young people are addressing hearing loss: a WHO report from 2015 predicted that 1.1 billion teens and young adults would injure their hearing irreparably due to over the top use of headphones and louder and louder music events.
Still, advancing technology and shifting perceptions have given hearing aids a new outlook, and soon they’ll be in the same category as eye-glasses – and contact lenses, for that matter.
If You Require Hearing Aids, You Should Wear Them, Here’s Why
There are a lots of reasons why you should wear hearing aids, some of them are unexpected and some are obvious.
Here are several of the most common reasons:
- One of the obvious reasons would be that you will be able to hear better
- You won’t struggle as much in conversations
- You can decrease tinnitus symptoms
- Social activities will be more pleasant
- You can listen to television and music at safe volumes
- You’re brain won’t have to work as hard
- You’ll boost your earning power
Are these reasons sounding beneficial to you? Some advantage can be gained by using hearing aids even for people with minor hearing loss.
What many people don’t know is that hearing loss is linked to mental decline, mental health problems, and conditions such as Alzheimers disease and dementia.
This could occur for a number of different reasons according to recent studies, including that the brain gets overtaxed and overtired because it’s always striving to comprehend sounds. It may be that the brain cells don’t receive enough stimulation so they shrink and die, or it might be related to social isolation, which is a leading cause of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
Hearing aids can change things for the better by letting you hear clearly and comprehend the words and sounds near you. Your brain won’t have to use extra resources and will be able to process sounds in a normal way, while you will start to enjoy conversations and social activities again because you will gain more confidence.
Technological Developments in Hearing Aids
By now it should be obvious why people of any age should use hearing aids if they require them. Now we’re going to talk about the how; as in, how hearing aid technology has advanced to the point where they’re nothing like your grandparents’ hearing aids.
The cumbersome, over-the-ear hearing aids are still available for the people who want them. They perform their function effectively and have advanced to the point where most of them have no problem filtering out background sounds such as wind or determining what direction sound is coming from. Conversely, there are more modern versions of hearing aids that are almost invisible, yet contain quite a bit of technology to fit in with today’s digital environment.
Would you like to connect your hearing aid to your cellphone, tablet, television, or even your car’s navigation system? Then you’re in luck since many modern hearing aids feature Bluetooth technology that allows them to sync to a range of devices. There are even higher-end models that can stream music, track your physical activity, and automatically take and make phone calls for you. Hearing aids nowadays are designed to do more – much like your smartwatch and smartphone, smart hearing aids will come to be a must-have accessory for anybody suffering from hearing loss. So now that you’re ready to tackle your hearing loss and begin wearing a hearing aid, get in touch with us for an appointment and hearing assessment.