Hearing aids are supposed to be worn daily. But before you recycle your milk jugs, you’re supposed to wash them out too. We don’t always do what we’re supposed to. The same goes for hearing aids. Sometimes we forget to take them with us. You may even forget to use it for more than a day.
That isn’t a really smart idea. Because when you don’t use your hearing aids numerous things happen and some things already happening get worse. And, honestly, the majority of them are kind of bad.
Consequences of Forgetting to Use Your Hearing Aids
Much of what occurs when you don’t use your hearing aids will affect both your hearing health and your social life, each with varying degrees of severity and intensity. The effects and consequences of neglecting to use your hearing aids could include the following.
Your Level of Hearing Impairment Will Worsen
Hearing aids are impressive gadgets. Not only do they let you hear sounds that you otherwise wouldn’t have, but they also keep your auditory complex working smoothly (that’s the part of your brain responsible for the interpretation of sounds).
You could damage your hearing even more if, instead of wearing your hearing aids, you begin cranking up the volume on your devices even louder than they already are. Even if you’re not boosting the volume, the missing sensory input results in issues with your brain. (It actually shrinks.) So you will most likely end up needing more powerful hearing aids in the future if you fail to use your current pair because your hearing will continue to get worse.
It Will Become More Challenging to Interact Socially
You know when you go to the market and you get into a short conversation with the cashier? They’re enjoyable, we think. A nice little touch of humanity in a technology-driven world.
When you don’t use your hearing aids, these basic social connections can suddenly be a lot more challenging. You repeatedly miss parts of the conversation and need to ask people to repeat themselves. Again and again. And that’s when the conversation becomes really uncomfortable. Maybe that sounds superficial, but every bit you withdraw into yourself makes it that much easier to totally seclude yourself socially. And the result can be even more serious.
Mental Decline And Hearing Aids
When you separate yourself socially, your brain gets a lot less exercise. Think about how invigorated (or exhausted) you can feel after a good conversation or a pleasant evening dinner with your family. Certain cognitive functions can begin to decline or decline faster without this exercise. This could mean:
- Depression
- Balance troubles
- Memory issues
- Declines in productivity or energy
But there’s more. Because hearing sound is vitally important to certain regions of your brain and nervous system. Without stimulation, certain nerves will begin to weaken, and your auditory complex starts to atrophy. This can make it more difficult to get used to your new hearing aids and in the worst case speed up mental decline.
Your brain remains happy, stimulated, and engaged when you use hearing aids.
Losing The Ability to be Independent
Needing a bit more help, as you age, is not abnormal. Perhaps you ask a family member to go shopping for you or a neighbor to do some yard work. You are probably to accelerate your loss of independence if you’re not using your hearing aids.
You can miss phone calls or lose parts of conversations with your neighbor when you don’t wear your hearing aids. You may miss important weather alerts. Perhaps you don’t hear your cat meowing for food at night or your dog barking at somebody ringing your doorbell.
What’s The Solution?
No matter how technologically advanced hearing aids become, they won’t resolve all of life’s issues. But many of the issues connected to failing to use your hearing aid can be solved.
You should come see us for help if you’re having problems with your hearing aids or if they are uncomfortable.
But if you’re looking for reasons to avoid using your hearing aids, if you’re just leaving them in the nightstand drawer, it’s worth taking a little time to reflect on what could be gained by using them… and what might happen if you don’t use your hearing aids.
References
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/otolaryngology/specialty_areas/hearing/faq.html
https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20140128/hearing-loss-tied-to-faster-brain-shrinkage-with-age
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation