If you are struggling with hearing loss, then you are not alone. Research suggests that hearing loss is a common condition affecting millions of people of all ages around the world. Hearing loss is not only a problem that impacts the elderly, and with our lives today giving us more opportunities to be exposed to loud noises, it’s happening to people who are getting younger and younger.
Some common early signs of hearing loss include struggling to keep up with conversations when you are speaking to somebody, having the volume on your TV, phone, and other devices turned up as loud as possible, and struggling to determine where sounds are coming from. If you’ve noticed any of these, then it might be worth booking a hearing test to see if hearing aids could help you. Today, hearing aids have become more and more advanced and can be designed and fitted to help with the specific type of hearing loss you are experiencing. Some of the main benefits of hearing aids include:
Improve Your Quality of Life
Getting hearing aids can seriously improve your quality of life if you are struggling with hearing loss. This is because when you are losing your hearing, there are several ways that this can impact your quality of life overall. If you’re losing your hearing, you might no longer be able to enjoy some of the things that you use to love, like going out with friends or family to crowded places, visiting family for gatherings, or even binge-watching TV shows without the symptoms coming up. Over time, this can lead many people with hearing loss to isolate themselves more often, leading to mental health concerns like depression and anxiety.
Reduce the Risk of Cognitive Decline
Several scientific studies have now linked untreated hearing loss to an increased risk of cognitive decline, such as a higher risk of developing dementia. Studies have found that people with hearing loss who do not use a hearing aid or aids to correct it tend to be at the highest risk of suffering the greatest decline in their cognitive function, health, and well-being.
Improved Mental Wellbeing
Along with improving your hearing and potentially reducing your risk of dementia, wearing hearing aids can also be very beneficial for your mental health and wellbeing. Hearing isn’t just a physical problem – when you hear sounds, your brain is doing a lot of the work of processing the sounds while your ears are picking them up. If you are not using hearing aids and are struggling with hearing loss, then there is a higher risk of developing mental health issues like anxiety or depression. This is not only down to the frustration that can come with struggling to hear but also because hearing loss can make you more likely to become isolated and lonely as a result of having trouble in social situations, such as problems with keeping up with conversations.
Reduce Tinnitus
When you are suffering from hearing loss, this can often lead to a condition known as tinnitus, which is characterized by a clicking or ringing sound in one or both of the ears. Although tinnitus can be brought on by other conditions, it is often associated with hearing loss. Wearing professionally fitted hearing aids that are designed to correct your hearing loss can also significantly reduce tinnitus symptoms, allowing you to get on with your day without that annoying ringing or sound in your ears.
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Improve Your Social Life
Wearing hearing aids to correct hearing loss can also help you get the most out of your social life. Hearing loss can often lead to problems with socializing. You might struggle to keep up with conversations when you are in a group of friends or have problems hearing a friend when you are talking in a busy or noisy place. As a result, you might have been avoiding going out as often as you might like to, or have not been keeping in touch with friends as much due to struggling to hear them when they are talking on the phone. With hearing aids, these problems can be dealt with much easier, allowing you to enjoy a thriving social life once again.
High Satisfaction Levels
Hearing aids have a very high satisfaction level, with the majority of people who use them to correct hearing loss problems saying that they are very happy with their choice of treatment. Research shows that over the past year, fifty percent of people who started using hearing aids are happy with them, and around 90% of people who currently use hearing aids for hearing loss say that they would recommend them to others with the condition.
Improve Your Family Life
Family life and close relationships can often be strained by hearing loss. It can be hard to communicate with the people in your life that are closest to you when you are struggling to hear what they are saying. Along with that, hearing loss might lead you to end up missing out on things to do together with your family, such as avoiding watching a movie together if you won’t be able to hear it or not going to crowded places like restaurants for fear of not being able to hear them. With hearing aids, you’ll improve communication with the people you love, and feel more able to spend quality time with them.
Improve Your Career
Last but not least, using hearing aids could even help you get further in your career. Wearing a hearing aid if you have hearing loss could end up with you earning more money in your job, according to research. Hearing loss that is not treated or corrected can significantly reduce your annual earnings, according to researchers. This is down to the additional fatigue and stress that being hard of hearing causes, which can reduce your performance at work and make it more likely that you are passed up for a promotion.
If you are struggling with some of the symptoms of hearing loss, the sooner you get fitted with hearing aids, the better.
