Hearing loss is a severe condition in the United States alone, affecting 48 million people. Although the effects of hearing loss on your ears are permanent, hearing aids can help people hear the sounds they may be lacking.
But somewhere along the way, the message isn’t getting through. Around 70% of those who could benefit from hearing aids choose not to wear them. What can account for this? We believe there are some misconceptions that people need to consider. We will discuss some popular myths about hearing aids. Hopefully, if you have hearing loss, this article will convince you to take charge of your hearing health today.
Myth 1: “But I wouldn’t need a hearing aid if other people only talked more clearly.”
Listening is the biological microphone of the body. If you’ve ever heard someone talk about a broken microphone, it may be noisy, but there’s a distortion that makes it hard to understand the sounds. The purpose of today’s technology for hearing aids is both to make sounds louder, clearer, minimize background noise, and to isolate the essential sound elements to make speech easier to comprehend.
Myth #2: “But hearing aids are only for older adults.”
Comparing current hearing aids with hearing aids from 15 years ago is like comparing your iPhone 12 to your old rotary phone – the contrast is almost comical.
Modern hearing aids are advanced instruments built to help you hear clearly. It is possible to tuck sleek gadgets behind the ear, and others are virtually invisible! Not only that, most modern hearing aids can be synchronized to your phone, so you can switch between programs and settings or adjust the volume quickly and discreetly.
Myth #3: “Hearing aids are for severe hearing loss only.”
Hearing aids are intended for those with hearing loss, whether mild, moderate, or severe. You wouldn’t wait to get glasses until your vision was terrible, so it’s crucial to treat hearing loss early in the same way to maintain a high quality of life. Even with slight hearing loss, you will miss crucial moments in your life, such as interactions with grandchildren, the best part of your favorite song, or the full spectrum of sounds you get from walking in a forest.
For our brains, treating hearing loss early is also critical. Hearing loss does not only affect our ears, and the correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline is high. It will not only help you to keep up with all the sounds around you by treating hearing loss early, but it will also keep your wits sharp and reduce the chances of developing dementia.
For your memory, for your focus, for your desire to communicate with the ones you love most, and for your overall quality of life, you should do the right thing and take charge of your hearing health.
Myth #4: “But hearing aids will make me look old.”
When you continuously ask people to repeat themselves, won’t people see you as older? Won’t people notice when at a packed restaurant, you can’t hear the server? Won’t other people notice that you have to turn on the TV or the radio all the time?
Myth #5: “But I only have one bad ear. why do I need two hearing aids?”
This is a popular misconception about hearing aids. Although one ear may be worse than the other, only one ear is rarely affected by hearing loss. A hearing test will help you assess your hearing loss degree and what kind of hearing aids will fit better with your particular situation.
Typically, wearing two hearing aids would benefit you the most, even though one ear is louder than the other, helping you to hear all the sounds around you quickly, no matter which side they come from.
All the evidence leads to your hearing being treated as quickly as possible. If you suspect that you had a hearing loss, don’t wait any longer. To schedule a hearing test, contact a hearing specialist near you. And be sure to ask them about Redux while you’re there, the fastest and most effective way to keep your hearing aids dry!