Hearing is one of our most important senses and one that we often don’t appreciate or protect until it’s too late. Good hearing enhances our lives by improving our mental, social and physical health. If you’re not protecting 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 benefits of healthy hearing:
Improved physical health
According to a survey administered by Hear The World Foundation, 21 percent of respondents reported exercising more often after obtaining hearing aids. Furthermore, 34 percent of respondents with hearing aids stated they were taking part in sports activities at least once per week.
Improved mental health
According to studies by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, hearing loss has been linked to clinical depression, as well as an increased risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Fortunately, the use of hearing aids has been shown to help reverse or prevent many of these issues.
Improved relationships
Communication is important in any relationship, particularly with friends and family members. Hearing loss can result in miscommunication, frustration, and ill will. By improving your hearing by wearing hearing aids, you will be better able to participate in conversations, especially in crowded rooms, public places, or other areas with a great deal of background noise.
Improved cognitive abilities
A study published in June 2016 found that hearing aids can improve brain function in people with hearing loss. Hearing loss often interferes with cognitive abilities because your brain is completely occupied by trying to understand what other individuals are saying.
Fewer tinnitus symptoms
Hearing aids allow individuals who have experienced hearing loss to hear sounds they couldn’t hear before. By increasing the stimulation between the brain and auditory pathways, hearing aids can help mask and reduce tinnitus symptoms. Hearing aids also feature volume controls that allow the wearer to effectively drown out tinnitus sounds.
Reduced fatigue
If you’re expending more energy than usual to listen to and understand daily conversations, it can lead to anxiety, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and even exhaustion. Hearing aids not only help you hear and communicate more effectively, but they also help you conserve energy by exerting less effort when listening.
Improved safety
Better hearing ensures you can respond to important sounds and noises that occur in your daily life. Wearing hearing aids ensures you can hear alarms, sirens, cell phones, doorbells, car horns, and alarms, as well as other traffic noises that indicate approaching vehicles.
Fewer headaches
If you suffer from tinnitus, the condition may cause you to have headaches or even migraines, which in turn, can amplify tinnitus effects. Wearing hearing aids can reduce the effects of tinnitus, and thus reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches and migraines.
Improved speech
To ensure your children learn vital language and enunciation skills, it is imperative to immediately treat any hearing loss experienced by young children who are still developing these skills. This treatment may require surgically implanting tubes in children’s ears to drain fluid from the middle ear canals. For more serious conditions, children may be fitted with hearing aids to improve their hearing and ensure they are learning to speak clearly and accurately.
Increased confidence in the workplace
Effective communication is essential to completing your daily work responsibilities. Not being able to hear important conversations with your coworkers can lead to misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and tasks going unfinished. The use of hearing aids can help you avoid these issues, and allow you to take greater pride and satisfaction in your career. The improved workplace communication and increased production will also improve the attitude of your coworkers.
If you believe you’re suffering from hearing loss and are tired of missing out on important conversations, you should contact a hearing professional in your area immediately. These experts can help determine your level of hearing loss, as well as whether your hearing – and overall health – would benefit from wearing hearing aids.
