Sustained Benefits of Hearing Aids

If you are experiencing difficulties with your hearing, you may be considering hearing aids. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions about hearing issues and people tend to assume that they only affect the older population. This means that younger patients are less likely to see an audiologist and ask about hearing aids. But research by the World Health Organization suggests that 50 million people in America are affected by hearing loss and may need to seek advice from an audiologist and possibly use hearing aids. 

In the short term, hearing aids will improve your listening ability and help you to communicate with others around you. However, there are a lot of sustained long-term benefits to using hearing aids that you may not have considered before. 

Improved social life

When you experience hearing difficulties, it can have an impact on your social life. It is more difficult to engage in conversations if you are unable to hear clearly, and a lot of people that have hearing loss find that they do not enjoy social occasions as much. This is an issue because a good social life is important to your overall health and happiness. Difficulties with socializing can also impede a child’s development, so it is a particular problem in young people. But if you see an audiologist and explore your options for hearing aids, you will notice a marked difference in your social life. Interacting with family and friends will be much easier and your overall lifestyle will be improved as a result. 

Better mental health

Hearing loss has been linked to an increased risk of mental health issues like depression. This is often linked to your social life because if you find it hard to engage with people at social occasions, you are more likely to skip events and isolate yourself, which can lead to an increased risk of depression. People that experience hearing loss often have relationship issues as well. Miscommunication between you and your partner may lead to more arguments and a lack of connection. These relationship problems can also increase your risk of depression. But if you see an audiologist and get fitted for hearing aids, the overall lifestyle improvements that they make will help you to manage your mental health more effectively. 

Improved performance at work

People that have hearing difficulties may also find that it affects their performance at work. If you are unable to hear instructions correctly that can lead to more mistakes. In a loud office environment, talking on the phone can be an issue as well. A study by the Better Hearing Institute found that this can increase your chance of reduced earnings and make it more difficult to progress in your career. 

Slowed cognitive decline

There are a lot of factors that contribute to cognitive decline but people that experience hearing loss have a greater risk of cognitive issues if they do not seek advice from an audiologist. Untreated hearing loss can increase atrophy in certain areas of the brain that deal with speech recognition. This means that, unless you wear hearing aids your ability to hear and understand speech will decline a lot faster. However, studies show that the right hearing aids will slow this process and reduce the risk of cognitive decline as you get older. It is important to note that cognitive decline is not only an issue that affects the older population. Neglecting to see an audiologist at any age may increase your risk of cognitive decline as you get older. 

Reduced tinnitus symptoms

Tinnitus is a very common problem that causes a ringing or clicking noise in the ears. It is often, but not always accompanied by hearing loss. It is common for people to experience tinnitus before they notice any hearing loss, so they are less likely to use hearing aids. But if you speak with an audiologist about your tinnitus, they are likely to suggest that you use hearing aids. If you intervene early, hearing aids will slow your hearing loss and also minimize the symptoms of your tinnitus. This is important because tinnitus can impact your quality of life and increase stress levels. It can also make it very difficult to concentrate, which may affect your performance at work.

Hearing aids are not just there to help you hear more clearly. They have a positive impact on all areas of your life and improve your overall health and happiness. 

If you have hearing loss and it is affecting other parts of your life, Pacific Audiology Clinic can help. Call us today at 503-719-4208.