It’s a question that we hear often. “Do I really need hearing aids?”
Yes. The answer is yes if you have any sort of hearing loss that shows up on a hearing test. Whether you are just starting to notice the signs of hearing loss or you’ve been living with it for years, the clarity that hearing aids and assistive devices provides is well worth it and will make your life much easier. In some cases—for instance, if you have severe nerve damage—you may not benefit from wearing hearing aids. But if you find that communication is becoming more difficult through the years, you’re struggling at work, you’re beginning to feel isolated, and there’s no other explanation for why your ears aren’t working well, then yes, you certainly need hearing aids.
How Do Hearing Aids Work?
Millions of Americans have hearing loss, and they use hearing aids to help correct it. Hearing aids are small electronic devices offered in a variety of styles. Digital hearing aids include a battery, a microphone, a computer chip, and a speaker. These tiny devices amplify sound. Hearing loss caused by noise damage cannot be repaired surgically; the damaged hair cells do not grow back. However, this sensorineural hearing loss can be mitigated with hearing aids. The tiny hair cells that do remain in your ear will pick up the sound that is amplified by the hearing aids. This allows the sounds to be sent to the brain as neural signals through the auditory nerve.
Hearing Aid Benefits
If you are suffering with hearing loss and are not using hearing aids to help assist you in your daily life, you may be significantly lowering your quality of life. Technology has been advancing through the years and there is hearing aid technology that fits a variety of needs, whether you live an active lifestyle or a quiet one. Not only can hearing aids improve your hearing, but they can also improve your quality of life, increase your confidence in social situations and at work, and improve your safety awareness. You won’t struggle as much to decipher what people are saying during conversations, so your communication will improve. You’ll be able to enjoy things you once loved, like hearing birds chirping first thing in the morning or the first drops of rain during a summer rain shower. Some people don’t even realize how much they were struggling and how much their hearing loss was interfering with daily life until they get hearing aids.
Don’t let your life pass you by without enjoying it. Hearing aids can restore your ability to hear well enough so you can go back to living your life without embarrassment, frustration, and communication difficulties. Start living better today and talk to your audiologist about trying out hearing aids!