In the past, hearing aids have had a stigma. If you use one, people might think of you as aging. The consequences?
Lots of people, both old and young, decide against hearing aids and suffer unnecessarily from hearing loss, which itself is connected to several health concerns. This is reinforced by the numbers: 30 million people in the US dealing with hearing loss, yet only around 15 percent of that group has ever worn a hearing aid.
Also, more and more young people are dealing with hearing loss: a WHO report from 2015 predicted that 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults would damage their hearing irreparably due to over the top use of headphones and louder and louder music shows.
However, advancing technology and changing attitudes 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, Here’s Why
There are a lots of reasons why you should wear hearing aids, some of them are surprising and some are obvious.
Here are several of the most common reasons:
- You can decrease tinnitus symptoms
- Conversations will be much easier
- Social activities will be more satisfying
- You can listen to television and music at safe volumes
- You’ll give your brain a rest
- One of the obvious factors is that you can hear better
- You’ll increase your earning power
Do these seem like good reasons to you? Even a person with minor hearing damage can get some advantage from using hearing aids.
What many people don’t know is that hearing loss is linked to mental decline, mental health problems, and conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Studies point to several different reasons why this may occur, this involves the overworking of the brain as it struggles to comprehend sounds that it hears. it could be that the brain cells shrink and die because they don’t receive enough stimulation, or it could be due to the number one cause of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems which is social isolation.
By allowing you to hear words and sounds around you more clearly, hearing aids can help lessen these issues. Your brain can then process the sounds as it normally would without having to use extra resources, while you’ll gain the confidence and ability to enjoy social activities and conversations again.
Hearing Aids Have Developed in Sophistication
We told you why it’s essential for anybody with hearing loss, old or young, to wear hearing aids. Now it’s time to find out how hearing aids have progressed in the last few years.
The cumbersome, over-the-ear hearing aids are still out there for the people who like them. They also have progressed to the point that they can determine where sound is originating from and can filter out sound effectively. Conversely, there are new and improved versions of hearing aids that have advanced technology which makes it easy for them to fit in with today’s digital world and are almost invisible.
Would you like to sync your hearing aid to your smartphone, tablet, tv, or even your car’s navigation system? Then you’re in luck since many modern hearing aids feature Bluetooth technology that enables them to sync to a variety 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. Hearing aids nowadays are made to do more – much like your smartwatch and smartphone, smart hearing aids will become a must-have accessory for anyone who has hearing loss. Are you ready to face hearing loss and buy yourself a hearing aid? Consult with us to find out what type of hearing aid will work best for you.