Speak with a person who recently got hearing aids for the first time, and they may tell you about the sounds that are restored, things they might not have known they were missing. Whether it’s crickets chirping or birds singing, there’s usually a touchstone to the time when they heard more clearly.
Better hearing is the point, after all. However, as with many aspects of your health, an improvement in one area can pay dividends elsewhere. Hearing aids have benefits that go beyond the obvious. Talk to us at Sheridan Ear, Nose & Throat about the improvements you stand to gain in your life with custom-prescribed hearing aids.
None of your body’s systems work in isolation. You may start an exercise program to lose weight, for instance, and you also find that your osteoarthritis symptoms ease or your cardiovascular health improves too. Similarly, hearing aids will help you by replacing the sounds you’re missing as a primary effect. But there are other downstream effects that some may not expect.
Your ears provide the electrical impulses that the brain interprets as sound. Many types of hearing loss include tinnitus effects, phantom sounds that are thought to originate from damaged components in the inner ear. Tinnitus is common with presbycusis, also known as age-related hearing loss, a common form of hearing impairment. Tinnitus sounds range from annoyance to aggravation. Most obvious when there’s little ambient noise around you, these sounds can prove distracting to the point of obsession.
Adding hearing aids can help to re-prioritize sound processing in your brain. With the additional information provided by hearing aid amplification, tinnitus sounds are masked, treated by the brain like the unimportant background sounds they are.
It’s simply easier to communicate when you’re hearing more effectively. You can stay abreast of conversations rather than struggling to follow. And instead of struggling to distinguish the sounds of people’s voices, your brain works on response. Hearing aids help you enjoy being around others, a simple pleasure you may not realize you were missing.
Functioning with hearing loss can be surprisingly draining. The effort necessary to follow conversations or track important sounds takes a physical toll in the same way that intense intellectual work can. Hearing aids reduce the strain necessary to get through the day, preserving more of your energy for the things you like to do.
Changes to hearing are often so gradual that you don’t notice hearing loss. Similarly, your withdrawal from social events may also be gradual. As hearing becomes more difficult, you may even feel glad about missing gatherings that you once enjoyed. Yet, the social void in your life can contribute to feelings of loneliness you might not associate with your ears. Without hearing aids, you’re raising your risk of anxiety, depression, and even dementia.
Hearing aids are about more than just your hearing. Your overall wellness may be at stake. Contact Dr. Scott Bateman and the ear care professionals at Sheridan Ear, Nose & Throat to learn more. You can reach our office by phone or online, so take the time to book your consultation now.
