Gilberts Audiology & Hearing Aid Center - Oklahoma

Man feeling more confident about wearing his hearing aids at work now that stigma around hearing aids is waning.

Over the years, hearing aids have had a stigma. Some people simply link them with getting old. The result?

Countless people, both old and young, go without hearing aids and suffer needlessly from hearing loss, which itself is connected to several health concerns. This is reinforced by the numbers: 30 million individuals in the United States suffering from hearing loss, yet only about 15 percent of that group has ever used a hearing aid.

At the same time, an increasing number of young people are addressing hearing loss: a WHO report from 2015 predicted that 1.1 billion teens and young adults would injure their hearing permanently due to over the top use of headphones and louder and louder music events.

However, changing attitudes and sophisticated technology have given hearing aids a new outlook, and soon they’ll be in the same category as eye-glasses – and contact lenses, for that matter.

If You Require Hearing Aids, You Should Wear Them, Here’s Why

There are a lots of reasons why you should wear hearing aids, some of them are unexpected and some are obvious.

Several of the most common reasons are as follows:

  • You can enjoy social activities and settings again
  • You won’t need to crank the TV or music up
  • You can reduce tinnitus symptoms
  • You’ll raise your earning power
  • You’ll be able to hear better (As noted, there were some obvious ones on this list)
  • Conversations will be much easier
  • You’ll give your brain a break

Are these reasons sounding good to you? Some benefit can be gained by using hearing aids even for individuals with slight hearing loss.

What many people aren’t aware of is that hearing loss is associated with mental decline, mental health problems, and conditions like Alzheimers disease and dementia.

Studies point to several different reasons why this might happen, including that the brain becomes overtaxed and overtired because it’s always trying to comprehend sounds. It might be that the brain cells don’t receive enough stimulation so they shrink and die, or it might be connected to social isolation, which is a major cause of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.

By allowing you to hear words and sounds near you more clearly, hearing aids can help alleviate these problems. Your brain won’t have to utilize additional resources and will be able to process sounds in a normal way, while you will start to enjoy conversations and social activities again because you will have a boost in confidence.

Hearing Aids Have Advanced in Technology

By now it should be apparent why people of any age should wear hearing aids if they need them. Now we’re going to talk about the how; for example, how hearing aid technology has progressed to the point where they’re no longer your grandparents’ hearing aids.

The bulky, over-the-ear hearing aids are still available for the people who like them. They do their job effectively and have progressed to the point where most of them don’t have a problem filtering out background sounds such as wind or determining which direction sound comes from. Conversely, there are new and improved versions of hearing aids that are virtually unnoticeable, yet pack quite a bit of technology to work with today’s digital world.

Would you like to connect your hearing aid to your smartphone, tablet, television, or even your car’s GPS? Most contemporary hearing aids have Bluetooth technology so you’re in luck. There are even higher-end models that can automatically take and make calls for you, keep track of your physical activity, and stream music. Hearing aids today are designed to do more – much like your smartwatch and smartphone, smart hearing aids will come to be a must-have accessory for anyone suffering from hearing loss. So now that you’re ready to manage your hearing loss and start wearing a hearing aid, consult with us for an appointment and hearing assessment.

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The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.
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