You’re supposed to use your hearing aids every day. But you’re also supposed to rinse out your milk jugs before recycling them. Sometimes, we don’t do the things we’re supposed to. The same goes for hearing aids. Occasionally we forget to take them with us. You may even forget to use it for more than a day.
That isn’t a very good idea. Because when you don’t wear your hearing aids numerous things happen and some things already happening get worse. And, honestly, the majority of them are kind of bad.
Effects And Repercussions of Going Without Hearing Aids
There will be consequences of varying degrees of intensity and severity, both to your health and social life, if you don’t wear your hearing aid. The effects and consequences of neglecting to use your hearing aids could include the following.
Your Hearing Will Keep Diminishing
The technology of hearing aids is pretty amazing. Not only do they let you hear sounds that you otherwise wouldn’t have, but they also keep your auditory complex working efficiently (that’s the part of your brain responsible for the interpretation of sounds).
If you “forget” to use your hearing aids and, instead, crank your TV up to an even louder volume, you could be doing additional damage to your hearing. Even if you’re not increasing the volume, the missing sensory input results in problems with your brain. (It actually shrinks.) So you’ll most likely end up needing more powerful hearing aids in the future if you fail to wear your current pair because your hearing will continue to get worse.
Social Engagement Will Become More Challenging (And Less Frequent)
You know when you go to the store and you get into a short conversation with the cashier? They’re pleasant, we think. A nice little bit of humanity in a technology-driven world.
These day-to-day social interactions suddenly become very difficult when you don’t wear your hearing aids. You repeatedly miss parts of the conversation and have to ask people to repeat themselves. Again and again. And that’s when the conversation becomes really awkward. That may not sound significant but each time a scenario like this occurs, you will tend to retreat socially more and more. And the outcome can be even more significant.
Hearing Aids And Mental Decline
Your brain doesn’t get nearly as much exercise when you isolate yourself. After you have a nice conversation with your family, think about how invigorated (or exhausted) you can feel. Certain cognitive functions can begin to decline or decline faster without this exercise. This could mean:
- Balance troubles
- Declines in productivity or energy
- Depression
- Memory issues
But there’s more. Because there are certain parts of your brain and nervous system that thrive on hearing sounds. Without stimulation, certain nerves will begin to weaken, and your auditory complex begins to atrophy. This can result in an even more accelerated cognitive decline (or, even in the best-case scenario, make adjusting to your hearing aids even more challenging).
Your brain stays happy, stimulated, and engaged when you wear hearing aids.
Loss of Independence
Needing a little more help, as you age, is not uncommon. Perhaps you ask a neighbor to mow your lawn or ask your daughter to swing by with supplies more often. If you aren’t using your hearing aid, you could be expediting the loss of independence that frequently comes with aging.
You can miss phone calls or fail to hear parts of conversations with your neighbor when you don’t wear your hearing aids. It’s possible that you will miss important alerts. Perhaps you fail to hear your dog barking when there’s someone at the door or your cat meowing at 6 am when he’s hungry.
What’s The Solution?
No matter how technologically sophisticated hearing aids get, they won’t solve all of life’s issues. But they will solve a lot of the issues related to not wearing your hearing aids.
You need to come see us for assistance if you’re having difficulty with your hearing aids or if they are not comfortable.
But if you’re looking for reasons to avoid using your hearing aids, if you’re just forgetting them in the nightstand drawer, it’s worth taking a little time to reflect on what might be gained by using them… and what could happen if you don’t use your hearing aids.
References
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/otolaryngology/specialty_areas/hearing/faq.html
https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20140128/hearing-loss-tied-to-faster-brain-shrinkage-with-age
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation