There’s Not as Much Stigma Around Wearing Hearing Aids Today

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 just link them with getting old. The effect?

Lots of people, both young and old, decide against hearing aids and suffer needlessly from hearing loss, which is actually linked to a number of health problems. The numbers reinforce this: 30 million people in the United States suffering from hearing loss, yet only around 15 percent of that population has ever worn a hearing aid.

In addition, younger people are suffering from hearing loss in greater numbers than ever before: a WHO report from 2015 predicted that 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults would damage their hearing irreparably due to excessive use of headphones and louder and louder music festivals.

Still, progressing technology and changing attitudes have started to frame hearing aids in a new light, and people are beginning to look at them in a similar way they look at eye-glasses.

Why Should You Wear Hearing Aids

There are a ton of reasons why wearing hearing aids is a smart idea, some of them obvious and some of them unexpected.

Here are some of the most common reasons:

  • Social activities will be more satisfying
  • You can lessen tinnitus symptoms
  • You’ll give your brain a rest
  • You won’t have to turn the music or TV up
  • You won’t have as hard a time having conversations
  • You’ll boost your earning power
  • You’re able to hear better (As we said, there were some obvious ones on the list)

Do these sound like good reasons to you? Some benefit can be gained by using hearing aids even for people with mild hearing loss.

What many people aren’t aware of is that hearing loss is linked to mental decline, mental health issues, and conditions like Alzheimers disease and dementia.

This could happen for a number of different reasons based on research, this involves the overworking of the brain as it battles to comprehend sounds that it hears. it could be that the brain cells shrink and die because they don’t receive enough stimulus, or it may be associated with social isolation, which is a major cause of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

By allowing you to hear words and sounds near you more clearly, hearing aids can help lessen these problems. Your brain can then process the sounds as it typically would without needing to use additional resources, while you will begin to enjoy conversations and social experiences again because you will have a boost in confidence.

Hearing Aids Have Developed in Sophistication

We told you why it’s important for anybody with hearing loss, young or old, to wear hearing aids. Now it’s time to discover how hearing aids have progressed in the last few years.

If really think you would like one of those big over the ear hearing aids, you can still purchase one. They perform their function adequately and have advanced to the point where the majority of them don’t have a problem filtering out background noises such as wind or determining which direction sound is coming from. However, there are more modern versions of hearing aids that are nearly unnoticeable, yet pack a lot of technology to work with today’s digital environment.

Is syncing your hearing aids up with your Bluetooth devices like your television, smartphone, or tablet something you might want to do? Most contemporary hearing aids have Bluetooth technology so you’re in luck. There are even higher-end models that can automatically take and make phone calls for you, keep track of your physical activity, and stream music. Smart hearing aids are becoming a must for anybody who has hearing impairment because much like your smartwatch and smartphone, they’re just created to do more. Are you ready to deal with hearing loss and buy yourself a hearing aid? Contact us to find out what type of hearing aid will be the right one for you.

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.