It’s estimated that over 7% of the population in the US wear hearing aids. The older we get, the more likely it is that we may need assistive listening devices.
Improving our hearing is the most obvious benefit to using hearing aids. However, these incredible little devices can do much more than that.
The hidden benefits of hearing aids may have you re-evaluating them!
6 Hidden Benefits of Hearing Aids
By the time we reach 65 years of age, 1 in 4 of us will experience difficulty hearing. This increases to 1 in 2 of us over the age of 75. For many, hearing aids can help improve listening ability and open up a world of sound.
Alongside improved listening / hearing abilities, here are 6 hidden benefits of hearing aids.
- Preventing Cognitive Decline: Your brain and your hearing ability are closely connected. Untreated hearing loss can put a lot of strain on your brain. Research from Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging has shown that the longer hearing loss goes untreated, the more chance you have of your brain forgetting how to interpret sounds and speech. The decline in memory function as a result of long term hearing loss can lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Minimizing Tinnitus Symptoms: Tinnitus is the perception of sounds, such as a buzzing, ringing or humming, when there is no sound present. Hearing aids is one treatment option for tinnitus. Part of the reason that tinnitus occurs with hearing loss is that the brain is trying to process sounds. Hearing aids help to combat this effect.
- Better Communication: Aside from not hearing well, one of the biggest side effects of hearing loss can be difficulty communicating. You could be missing out with time well spent with your family and friends if you can’t hear and properly communicate with them.
- Improved Earning Potential: The Better Hearing Institute has published research looking at how earning potential may be impacted by hearing loss. Their study revealed that when hearing loss is left untreated, it can reduce annual earnings by as much as $30,000. However, when hearing aids are implemented the risk of decreased earning was greatly reduced up to 90%.
- Improved Confidence: When you can hear properly, it makes communication with everyone so much easier. As a result, it improves your confidence.
- Less Tired: Fatigue is a side effect of hearing loss. Given that hearing and your brain function are closely connected, straining to hear causes your brain to work much harder to decipher the sound around you. This can be mentally taxing, and leave you feeling exhausted. Hearing aids eliminate this problem and therefore reduce the tired feeling that many people with hearing loss experience.
Need Help? Contact Us Today!
If you are due a hearing assessment, please get in touch with our hearing healthcare specialists. To book an appointment, call Regional Hearing and Balance Center at 208-497-3596 or click here to book a complimentary hearing assessment.
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