Over the years, hearing aids have carried a stigma. If you wear one, people may think of you as old. The result?
Lots of people of all ages put themselves at risk from numerous health problems because they forgo getting hearing aids and decide to deal with hearing loss. The numbers back this up: 30 million individuals in the US suffering from hearing loss, yet only around 15 percent of that population has ever worn a hearing aid.
Additionally, younger people are suffering from hearing loss in higher numbers than ever before: a WHO report from 2015 predicted that excessive use of headphones and overly loud concert events and festivals will cause over 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults to permanently injure their hearing.
However, changing attitudes and sophisticated technology have given hearing aids a new outlook, 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, This Is Why
There are a ton of reasons why you should use hearing aids, some of them are unexpected and some are obvious.
Here are several of the most common reasons:
- You’ll boost your earning power
- You can enjoy social activities and settings again
- You won’t have to crank the TV or music up
- You can minimize tinnitus symptoms
- Conversations will be a lot smoother
- One of the obvious reasons would be that you can hear better
- You’ll give your brain a break
Are these reasons sounding good to you? Some benefit can be gained by wearing hearing aids even for people with slight hearing loss.
What many people don’t know is that hearing loss is connected to mental decline, mental health issues, and conditions such as Alzheimers disease and dementia.
Research points to several different reasons why this might occur, this involves 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 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 problems. Your brain can then process the sounds as it typically would without having to use additional resources, while you’ll gain the confidence and ability to enjoy social activities and conversations again.
Technological Advances in Hearing Aids
We told you why it’s essential for anyone with hearing loss, young or old, to wear hearing aids. Now we’re going to talk about the how; for example, how hearing aid technology has advanced to the point where they’re no longer your grandparents’ hearing aids.
If really think you would like one of those large over the ear hearing aids, you can still purchase one. 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 more modern versions of hearing aids that are virtually unnoticeable, yet pack a lot of technology to fit in 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 many modern hearing aids have Bluetooth technology that permits them to connect with a variety of devices. There are even higher-end models keep track of your physical health, stream music, and take calls for you. Hearing aids nowadays are designed to do more – just like your smartwatch and smartphone, smart hearing aids will become a must-have accessory for anyone suffering from hearing loss. So now that you are ready to manage your hearing loss and begin wearing a hearing aid, get in touch with us for an appointment and hearing assessment.