Benefits to Healthy Hearing
For those who’ve spent a lifetime with normal levels of hearing, maintaining the ability to hear is vital to feeling good and enjoying everything life has to offer. Continue reading for a brief overview of the key reasons you should invest in your hearing.
Increase your confidence
Those who have difficulty hearing may find themselves struggling to follow the flow of normal conversation. Sensorineural hearing loss – a common type of hearing loss that’s often related to old age or chronic exposure to loud noises – is often marked by a difficulty with understanding speech. Those experiencing such hearing loss may wish to avoid the embarrassment of asking others to talk louder or repeat themselves.
That’s why healthy hearing can have the affect of improving your confidence. Once your hearing loss has been treated, you may find yourself rediscovering your natural personality and an inward confidence in conversations that you may have forgotten you still had.
Improve awareness of your surroundings
Imagine you’re walking along a sidewalk in your town or city. Consider the numerous noises happening all around you—sounds that most people take for granted in their day-to-day life:
- Cars honking their horns
- Engines revving
- Dogs barking
- Birds chirping
- People saying hello
When you’re able to hear these sounds, you can feel safe and aware no matter where you go or what you do— always ready to react appropriately in every situation.
In addition, there’s reason to believe that environmental awareness via our sense of hearing could play an important role in maintaining good balance and avoiding falls. One study found that even mild hearing loss tripled someone’s risk of an accidental fall— and that risk increased by 140% for every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss.¹
Rediscover your favorite activities
Hearing loss sometimes prompts us to change the way we live our lives. Have you stopped attending functions or events that you once loved? Hearing loss can disrupt your enjoyment of numerous activities, such as:
- Concerts
- Movies or theater
- Book readings
- Academic lectures
- Church services
Such activities can serve as social outlets. When you stop participating, you miss out on those human interactions. Unfortunately, it’s a common problem among those experiencing hearing loss. In fact, one study of adults under the age of 70 found that for every decibel drop in their hearing, a person’s odds of becoming severely lonely increased by 7%.²
The good news? Hearing loss is treatable, and there are more solutions than ever before. You too can enjoy the benefits described above— and many more besides! If you suspect you have hearing loss, try our free online hearing assessment as a first step.
¹Research study detailed here.
²Research study detailed here.