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Do you have hearing loss? If you’ve identified the signs of hearing loss, but are still hesitating, take a moment to learn about the benefits of treating hearing loss. You may think your hearing loss is no big deal, and that you can put off getting hearing aids for a few more years, but deciding to live with untreated hearing loss has some extremely negative health outcomes.
The Stigma Around Hearing Loss
Did you know that roughly 40 million Americans have hearing loss? These are people of all ages, and include seniors, younger adults, teenagers, and even children. The American Academy of Audiology places hearing loss among the top 5 chronic health concerns in the US, with other conditions like diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. Sadly, many people with hearing loss choose to ignore their hearing loss due to the stigma that surrounds hearing loss. No one would think twice if you started wearing glasses, so why is it any different with hearing aids?
Sadly, there is a stigma around hearing loss, and many people are worried that admitting they’re struggling to hear will make them seem old. Hearing loss is affecting more and more people of every age due to noise induced hearing loss, and with our crowded city streets, noisy concert halls, deafening sports venues, and loud leisure activities, hearing loss can affect anyone.
Strong Relationships
One of the benefits of treating hearing loss is strengthening relationships. When you struggle to hear, tensions start to creep into your relationships. You mishear comments, fail to hear your loved one call you from another room, or ask them to repeat themselves over and over again. When communication breaks down, and an intimate conversation over breakfast turns into a big misunderstanding, your relationships suffer.
Your friendships will also weaken, since those with hearing loss often choose to stay home rather than face the difficulty of following conversations in places with a lot of background noise. While you’d love to meet your friends for dinner, you’re worried that you won’t be able to hear what’s been said, and that you may get confused or answer inappropriately. When you choose to stay home you save yourself some embarrassment, but your relationships suffer.
Treating your hearing loss will allow you to fully participate in conversations, whether it’s quiet conversations in your living room or group conversations at your favorite restaurant. With background noise reduction and speech enhancement programs, hearing aids will help you hear in even the toughest listening environments.
Brain Health
Living with untreated hearing loss has a lot of repercussions when it comes to brain health. When you don’t go out to meet with friends and isolate yourself at home, your brain isn’t getting enough exercise. Those with untreated hearing loss face rapid cognitive decline, struggle to concentrate on tasks, have memory problems, and risk an earlier onset of dementia.
Treating hearing loss will help you be more active, both physically and mentally, and keep exercising your brain. You’ll be happy to meet friends for drinks, play with the grandkids outside, and talk to your children on the phone. All these activities will keep your brain active and healthy, and lower your risk of developing dementia.
Managing Tinnitus
Hearing loss and tinnitus often go hand in hand, and if you’ve experienced that annoying ringing or buzzing in your ear when everything around you is quiet, you know just how intrusive tinnitus can be. You may have trouble focusing, and have difficulty falling asleep at night.
Most of today’s hearing aids have built in tinnitus therapy programs to help you manage your tinnitus. They use sound therapy programs, and play white noise, pink noise, or other sounds that mask your tinnitus and fade it into the background so that you can enjoy your day without worrying about your tinnitus.
Audiology Concepts
Are you ready to treat your hearing loss? Not only will your relationships improve, and your brain stay healthy, you’ll have an improved quality of life. You’ll be able to live without the stress of straining to hear, and can enjoy your life with clear hearing. Don’t choose to live with hearing loss, but do the right thing for your ears and your brain, and call us today at Audiology Concepts to find out more about your hearing health.