While 48 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, only one in five seek treatment. If you choose to leave your hearing loss untreated, there may be consequences you’re unaware of. Untreated hearing loss is linked to a number of negative health conditions and other social consequences.
How Hearing Aids Improve Your Health
Studies show that people who don’t treat their hearing loss are three times more likely to suffer physical injuries like falls. Hearing devices can help you be more aware of your surroundings and preserve your sense of balance.
Hearing aids can also improve mental health by keeping you socially engaged. Untreated hearing loss is linked to feelings of depression, anger and anxiety.
Johns Hopkins University has published multiple studies about the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline. People with untreated hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia compared to those with normal hearing or those who treat their hearing loss early.
Hearing Aids & Professional Success
When you have untreated hearing loss, you may have a difficult time carrying on conversations with your coworkers, supervisor and clients. Phone calls and conference room meetings tend to be especially difficult for people who can’t hear well.
Hearing aids not only improve relationships with your colleagues, studies show they can also help your ability to focus, improve your ability to store new information by decreasing your cognitive load and increase your overall earning power.
In fact, while people with hearing loss tend to make about 25 percent less than their normal-hearing colleagues, hearing aids were shown to reduce this risk by 90-100 percent for those with mild hearing loss, and 65-77 percent for moderate to severe hearing loss.
Healthy Hearing & Emotional Well-being
As shown by the examples above, wearing hearing aids can result in a renewed sense of confidence in one’s ability to navigate the world around them without relying on others to be their ears.
People who treat their hearing loss have healthier relationships because they’re partners no longer have to bear the social burden of answering phone calls, making conversation, etc. Better communication leads to happier, longer-lasting relationships.
To learn more about how hearing aids can improve your life, contact Tinnitus & Hearing Experts today!