5 Health Benefits of Using Hearing Aids
More than 1.5 billion people worldwide experience hearing issues in at least one ear. You can experience hearing loss due to sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) because of the inner ear and nerve-related problems, conductive hearing loss in which outer and middle ear problems prevent sound from reaching the inner ear, or mixed hearing loss (a combination of both).
If you or a loved one experiences difficulty in hearing, it may be time to get hearing aids from well-reputable clinics such as HearCanada. Hearing aids help you in more ways than you may have thought:
1. Reduced Risk of Cognitive Decline
Brain atrophy or cognitive decline refers to the loss in the connection between brain cells. It can sometimes lead to mild cognitive impairment or severe symptoms such as seizures and dementia.
Untreated hearing loss affects parts of the brain that can lead to speech deterioration, increasing the risk of cognitive decline. Studies show that hearing aids slow down this process and are closely associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline. They also improve memory and speech.
2. Improves Your Mental Health
Hearing loss or lack of use of hearing aids is heavily associated with loneliness. It can also increase your odds of depression, which can lead to suicidal ideation. Having trouble with hearing makes communication difficult, leading to social withdrawal and isolation.
Individuals with hearing problems often begin avoiding interactions to protect themselves against paranoia and the embarrassment associated with mishearing someone. Following this, the use of hearing aids can decrease psychological distress, as they allow better communication between spouses, families, and friends, helping individuals in their relationships and social interactions.
3. Reducing Tinnitus
Tinnitus or “ringing in the ears” refers to sounds in your head not coming from an external source. You may also hear humming, buzzing, whistling, and clicking. This can cause anxiety, affect one’s performance at work and school, and make sleeping difficult. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s important to seek professional help. A Santa Monica audiologist can provide you with a comprehensive evaluation and treatment options to manage your tinnitus effectively.
While this problem is not always related to hearing loss, hearing aids can help reduce the symptoms of tinnitus by returning missing simulations to the brain. They mask tinnitus and allow you to hear background or environmental sounds again. Determining whether Lenire works for tinnitus relief can vary from person to person, so it is important to consult with a healthcare professional and research user experiences to better understand its potential effectiveness in your specific case.
4. Reduce Fall Damage
A study by John Hopkins suggests that hearing loss can triple the risk of taking a fall, especially in the elderly. It can be because you are unaware of your environment, which makes falling more likely, or because hearing loss increases cognitive load, leaving fewer mental resources available to help maintain balance. Wearing hearing aids will decrease this risk, and this also prevents costly visits to the hospital.
5. More Energy and Higher Earning Potential
Our sensory activities depend on the brain: sound collected by the outer ear is converted into electrical signals by sensory cells in the inner to send to our brain. The brain exerts extra energy to interpret information due to hearing loss leading to auditory fatigue. So, using hearing aids will reduce daily life fatigue.
While not directly related to health, research suggests hearing loss can lead to lower income and unemployment. You may be unable to hear instructions or struggle with communicating. Hearing aids mitigate these problems.
Endnote
If you have one-sided hearing loss, you may only need one hearing aid, but if both ears are affected, you need to wear them in each ear. Hearing aids may also amplify sounds you want to avoid, and adjusting to all the changes may take a while. They can also be expensive. While hearing aids will not return your hearing to its previous optimum, they will still improve the quality of your life and health by making hearing easier.
