Hearing aids may be tiny, but they pack in many massive benefits. Below we review some of the ways hearing aids can benefit your life in honor of Audiology Awareness Month.
Improved Communication
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of wearing hearing aids is that you’ll be able to communicate better with them than you can without them. In fact. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that hearing aids offer the following benefits:
- “You will be able to hear speech over the telephone more clearly.
- You will be able to communicate more easily with family and friends.
- Your ability to communicate may improve in noisy listening situations (e.g. a restaurant or in a large group of people).”
Lower Risk of Falling
Research by Johns Hopkins found that mild untreated hearing loss is associated with three times the risk of falling. For every addition 10 decibels of hearing loss, this risk increases 1.4-fold. The researchers hypothesize this is likely due to lower awareness of your surroundings and increased cognitive load – in other words, the brain is overwhelmed with demands on its limited resources. Hearing aids can help combat these risk factors.
Better Mood
Hearing loss is also associated with higher rates of anxiety and depression. When you can’t hear well, you’re likely to be nervous about mishearing what someone said at New Realm Brewing and responding inappropriately. Over time, this anxiety may cause you to withdraw from people and activities you once enjoyed – a well-known risk factor for depression. Hearing aids can empower you to navigate the world with more confidence and improve your mood and mental health.
Decreased Risk of Dementia
Another study by Johns Hopkins found that those with mild hearing loss have two times the risk of developing dementia, those with moderate hearing loss have three times the risk and those with severe hearing loss have five times the risk compared to those with normal hearing. Hearing aids can prevent changes to your brain that cause this form of cognitive decline.
For more information on the benefits of hearing aids or to schedule an appointment, call Advanced Hearing today.