As we age, loss of hearing is commonly perceived as an inescapable fact of life. Hearing loss is experienced by lots of older Americans as is tinnitus or a ringing in the ears. But if a condition like this is so accepted, why do so many people deny that they deal with loss of hearing?
A new study from Canada suggests that more than 50 percent of all middle aged or older Canadians suffer from some type of loss of hearing, but no problems were reported at all by over 77% percent of those. In the US, more than 48 million people have some sort of hearing loss, but many do not try to do anything about it. Whether this denial is deliberate or not is up for debate, but it’s still true that a considerable number of individuals let their hearing loss go unchecked – which could bring about significant issues later on in life.
Why do Some Individuals Not Know They Have Loss of Hearing?
It’s a challenging question. It’s a gradual process when a person loses their ability to hear, and some people may not even recognize that they are having a harder time hearing things or understanding people than they once did. Or, more commonly, they may blame it on something else – the person they’re talking to is mumbling, volumes aren’t turned up loud enough, or background noise is too high. hearing loss can be blamed, unfortunately, on quite a few things, and having a hearing test or getting checked out, normally, is not a person’s first instinct.
It also happens that some people just won’t acknowledge that they have hearing loss. Another study conducted in the United States shows that lots of seniors simply deny that they have a hearing issue. They mask their issue in any way they can, either they recognize a stigma around hearing loss or because they don’t want to admit to having a problem.
The problem is, you may be negatively influencing your overall health by neglecting your hearing loss.
Neglected Hearing Loss Can Have a Devastating Affect
It’s not just your ears that are affected by hearing loss – high blood pressure and heart disease have also been connected to hearing loss and also anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline.
Research has revealed that people who have treated their loss of hearing with cognitive therapy, changes of diet and hearing aids have better overall health and longer life spans.
It’s crucial to recognize the indications of hearing loss – persistent ringing or humming in the ears, trouble having conversations, needing to turn up the volume of your radio or TV.
What Can be Done About Hearing Loss?
There are a number of treatments you can do to get your loss of hearing under control. Hearing aids are the type of treatment that is the most common, and you won’t experience the same types of problems that your grandparents or parents did because hearing aid tech has advanced appreciably. Hearing aids can now filter out background noise and wind, while also wirelessly connecting to devices like your radio, TV, or tablet.
A changing your diet could affect your hearing health if you have anemia. Consuming more foods that are high in iron has been discovered to help people battle tinnitus and hearing loss since iron deficiency anemia has been revealed to lead to hearing loss.
The most essential thing you can do, however, is to get your hearing assessed on a regular basis.
Do you think that you’re suffering from hearing loss? Visit us and get checked.