Hearing is one of our most important senses and one that we typically don’t appreciate or safeguard until it’s too late. Socially, mentally and physically, our lives are improved with good hearing. If you aren’t safeguarding your hearing or neglecting your hearing loss, you are compromising your overall health in ways you might not have recognized. Here are just a few of the numerous advantages of healthy hearing:
Improved Physical Health
According to a survey performed by Hear The World Foundation, 21 percent of respondents reported exercising more often after obtaining hearing aids. Furthermore, 34 percent of participants with hearing aids said they were taking part in sports activities at least once every week.
Improved Mental Health
Clinical depression, along with the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s have been connected to hearing impairment according to researchers at Johns Hopkins. Fortunately, the use of hearing aids has been shown to help reverse or prevent many of these issues.
Stronger Relationships
Communication is essential in any relationship, especially with friends and family members. Hearing impairment can cause miscommunication, aggravation, and ill will. By improving your hearing by wearing hearing aids, you will be better able to engage in conversations, especially in crowded rooms, public places, or other settings with a great deal of background noise.
Improved Cognitive Abilities
A study released in 2016 revealed that hearing aids can increase brain function in individuals with hearing impairment. Cognition is interrupted by hearing loss as the brain makes use of extra resources trying to hear and understand.
Reduced Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids allow individuals who have experienced hearing loss to hear sounds they couldn’t hear before. By increasing the stimulus between the brain and auditory pathways, hearing aids can help hide and decrease tinnitus symptoms. Hearing aids also have volume controls that let the wearer effectively drown out tinnitus sounds.
Reduced Fatigue
If you’re expending more energy than usual to listen to and comprehend daily conversations, it can result in stress, sleep disruptions, tiredness, and even exhaustion. In addition to helping you effectively communicate, hearing aids also help you use less energy attempting to hear.
Improved Safety
Better hearing ensures you will be able to respond to important sounds and noises that happen in your day-to-day life. Wearing hearing aids ensures you can hear alarms, sirens, cell phones, doorbells, and car horns, in addition to other traffic noises that indicate approaching vehicles.
Fewer Headaches
Headaches and even migraines often accompany 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.
Clearer Speech
Young children who are still building early language skills need to have any hearing concerns treated as soon as possible. There might be fluid in the child’s inner middle ears canal which could require a tube to be surgically implanted for drainage. A hearing aid might be necessary for more severe conditions to ensure they’re learning to talk precisely and clearly.
Even adults articulate and communicate better when they have clear hearing.
Increased Workplace Confidence
If you’re going to complete your everyday work responsibilities competently, you need to be able to hear. Incomplete tasks, missed deadlines, and misunderstandings will be the outcome if you can’t hear conversations with coworkers. Using hearing aids can help you prevent these issues, and allow you to take greater pride and satisfaction in your career. Better workplace communication and increased production will also improve the attitude of your coworkers.
You should get in touch with your local hearing professional if you think hearing impairment is causing you to miss out on essential conversations. They can help you determine if hearing aids will help you hear better and improve your overall health.
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.