Over the years, hearing aids have carried a stigma. Some people simply associate them with aging. The consequences?
Many people of every age put themselves in danger of numerous health problems because they forgo getting hearing aids and choose to live with hearing loss. The numbers reinforce this: 30 million individuals in the United States suffering from hearing loss, yet only about 15 percent of that group has ever worn a hearing aid.
What’s more, the youth are suffering from hearing loss in larger numbers than they ever have: a WHO report from 2015 forecasted that 1.1 billion teens and young adults would injure their hearing irreparably due to excessive use of headphones and louder and louder music festivals.
However, developing technology and shifting attitudes 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.
Why You Should Wear Hearing Aids
There are a ton of reasons why wearing hearing aids is a good idea, some of them obvious and some of them unexpected.
Here are a few of the most common reasons:
- Conversations will be much smoother
- You’ll raise your earning power
- You can listen to television and music at normal volumes
- You can enjoy social activities and settings again
- You’re brain won’t need to work so hard
- You can reduce tinnitus symptoms
- You can hear better (As we said, there were some obvious ones on this list)
Do these sound like beneficial reasons to you? Some benefit can be gained by wearing 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 issues, and conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
This may occur for a few different reasons according to recent studies, this includes the overworking of the brain as it battles to comprehend sounds that it hears. it could be that the brain cells shrink and die because they don’t receive enough stimulus, or it might be because of the leading cause of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems which is social isolation.
By allowing you to hear words and sounds near you more clearly, hearing aids can help lessen these issues. Your brain can then process these sounds as it typically would without needing to use extra resources, while you will start to enjoy conversations and social experiences again because you will gain more confidence.
Technological Developments in Hearing Aids
By now it should be apparent why people of all ages should use hearing aids if they require them. Now it’s time to find out how hearing aids have advanced in the last few years.
If really want one of those big over the ear hearing aids, you can still buy one. They perform their function adequately and have progressed to the point where most of them have no problem filtering out background noises like wind or determining what direction sound is coming from. Conversely, there are more modern versions of hearing aids that are nearly invisible, yet pack quite a bit of technology to work with today’s digital world.
Do you want to sync your hearing aid to your cellphone, tablet, television, or even your car’s navigation system? Then you’re in luck since most modern hearing aids come equipped with Bluetooth technology that allows them to sync with a range of devices. There are even higher-end versions that can stream music, track your physical activity, and automatically take and make phone calls for you. Smart hearing aids are becoming a must for anybody who has hearing impairment because much like your smartwatch and smartphone, they’re simply designed to do more. So now that you’re ready to tackle your hearing loss and start wearing a hearing aid, consult with us for an appointment and hearing assessment.