We typically don’t appreciate how essential our sense of hearing is until it’s too late. Strong hearing enhances our lives by improving our mental, social, and physical health. If you’re not safeguarding your hearing or ignoring your hearing loss, you are compromising your overall health in ways you may not have realized. Here are just a few of the many advantages of healthy hearing:
Enhanced Physical Health
After acquiring hearing aids, 21 percent of people who responded to a Hear The World Foundation survey reported exercising more often. Furthermore, 34 percent of participants with hearing aids said they were participating in sports activities at least once per week.
Improved Mental Health
According to studies by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, hearing impairment has been linked to clinical depression, as well as an increased risk of suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Luckily, many of these issues can be prevented or even reversed by using hearing aids.
Improved Relationships
When you’re in a relationship, nothing is more essential than communication. This is particularly true with family and friends. Hearing impairment can cause miscommunication, aggravation, and ill will. When you’re in public places that have a lot of background noise, wearing hearing aids will allow you to continue to participate in conversations.
Improved Cognitive Abilities
In people with hearing impairment, a 2016 study revealed that wearing hearing aids boosts brain function. Cognition is interrupted by hearing loss as the brain makes use of extra resources trying to hear and understand.
Fewer Tinnitus Symptoms
People who experience hearing impairment will be able to hear sounds they previously couldn’t when they wear hearing aids. By increasing the stimulus between the brain and auditory pathways, hearing aids can help hide and decrease tinnitus symptoms. Wearers can also use hearing aids to control volumes and mask tinnitus sounds.
Decreased Fatigue
Anxiety, tiredness, and exhaustion can be the outcome when you need to use additional energy to hear and comprehend what people are saying. As well as helping you effectively communicate, hearing aids also help you spend less energy trying to hear.
Greater Security
You will be able to better respond to important sounds and noises when you have good hearing. Using hearing aids ensures you can hear alarms, sirens, cell phones, doorbells, and car horns, as well as other traffic sounds that indicate approaching vehicles.
Fewer Headaches
Headaches and even migraines commonly come with tinnitus which can, in turn, make the tinnitus symptoms even worse. Using hearing aids can decrease the effects of tinnitus, and thus minimize the frequency and intensity of headaches and migraines.
Improved Speech
Young children who are still building early language skills need to have any hearing issues treated right away. This treatment might require surgically implanting tubes inside of children’s ears to drain fluid from the middle ear canals. For more serious conditions, children could be fitted with hearing aids to improve their hearing and ensure they’re learning to speak clearly and precisely.
Even adults articulate and communicate better when they have clear hearing.
Improved Confidence in The Workplace
Successful communication is essential to completing your day-to-day work responsibilities. Not being capable of hearing critical conversations with your coworkers can lead to misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and unfinished tasks. Using hearing aids can help you prevent these problems, and allow you to take greater pride and satisfaction in your career. Better workplace communication and additional production will also elevate the disposition of your coworkers.
You should get in touch with your local hearing professional if you believe hearing loss is causing you to miss important conversations. These experts can help determine your level of hearing loss, as well as whether your hearing – and overall health – would benefit from using hearing aids.
References
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/hearing_loss_accelerates_brain_function_decline_in_older_adults
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/in-the-journals-hearing-aids-may-help-improve-brain-function#:~:text=A%20study%20to%20be%20published,according%20to%20lead%20researcher%20Dr.