The easiest way to treat mild to moderate hearing loss is with the use of hearing aids, but you wouldn’t know it from the numbers. Given the detrimental effects of chronic hearing loss, corrective action was taken by just 20 percent of people with hearing loss. The use of hearing aids could help 28 million people in the United States.

Recent studies have shown that the vast majority of people with hearing aids experience positive outcomes. Today’s hearing aids are sophisticated automated, elegant, programmable, cosmetically appealing devices that have proven to improve hearing even in the noisiest of environments.

Here are some of the advantages related to the use of hearing aids for those with hearing loss.

Better personal safety

The treatment of hearing loss could improve your balance. In a study by Dr. Frank Lin of John Hopkins University and Dr. Luigi Ferrucci M.D., Ph.D., of the National Institute on Aging, it was found that people with a moderate hearing loss had a three-fold chance of falling. The risk of falling increased by 1.4 percent with every 10 dB of hearing loss. Lin said that gait and balance are “cognitively taxing,” and so is loss of hearing. This means the brain has a diminished capacity to concentrate on gait and stability as it is forced to expend extra time trying to hear.

Treating hearing loss can also increase your spatial and aural awareness. Perhaps the most crucial way hearing aids keep you safe is by making you more conscious of dangerous sounds. Think of a car’s music coming around a corner, a pot boiling over, or a timer on the oven going off. Cooking, taking a stroll, crossing the street are not activities that are necessarily risky to do. But dangerous conditions may quickly occur without the requisite sensory input.

Better relationships

Communication is a big issue for people who lose their hearing as they age. Once they are unable to understand others, they may withdraw from social experiences. They may avoid trying to reach out because they are ashamed or upset with their friends or relatives.

Hearing loss treatment enhances their communication capacity, which helps these people to stay in contact with their loved ones. Such positive partnerships keep individuals involved and connected with others, encouraging a better quality of life.

Fewer emotional issues

There are also psychological benefits associated with hearing loss, including a lowered risk of anxiety or depression.

The National Council on Aging has reported that people who don’t seek hearing loss care are much more likely to be depressed than their peers. The study found that 22 percent of people who used hearing aids indicated anxiety or depression feelings. For those who did not seek support, this number was 30 percent.

This emotional gain is directly tied to the social benefits of hearing loss treatment. When individuals are socially isolated due to hearing loss, then the natural consequences of depression and anxiety arise.

Slow Cognitive Decline

There have been many studies connecting hearing loss with an increased risk of dementia and mental fatigue, as well as cognitive decline.

Continuing research continues to demonstrate the connection between untreated hearing loss and lack of hearing aids. Hearing loss, if left untreated, can worsen atrophy in the brain’s auditory nervous system, where speech and comprehension occur, a study by the University of Pennsylvania has suggested. Quite merely, areas of the brain reusable for sound signal processing shrink due to a lack of use.

Researchers have discovered that hearing aids not only delay atrophy but also improve your hearing ability and the ability of your brain to translate sounds into information. This exciting research area supports the idea that mitigating impaired hearing loss with hearing aids could delay cognitive decline.

Higher earning power

Several studies have found that hearing loss treatment could help you earn more money. A Better Hearing Institute study has shown that untreated hearing loss can cut annual earnings by as much as $30,000. The study also found that treatment of hearing loss with hearing aids was found to minimize the risk of reduced revenues by more than 90 percent for people with mild hearing loss, and nearly 77 percent for those with moderate to extreme hearing loss.

Treating your hearing impairment with a hearing aid will allow you the ability to communicate more easily with those around you. Just put them on in the morning and enjoy a day of interacting with the ones who matter the most in your life. To get started, schedule a consultation with us today.