Even though hearing loss becomes more common as you age, a new poll indicates that 80% of Americans over 50 said their primary care provider hadn’t asked about their hearing in the last two years.
Neglecting your hearing health can have many different negative consequences that affect your health and well-being.
Hearing Loss Makes It Harder To Stay Connected
Hearing loss affects our ability to understand speech, making it harder to communicate with others. This can have repercussions on all aspects of your life. You may struggle to follow along during work meetings or have more misunderstandings with your spouse or partner, leading to increased levels of anxiety and tension in all your social relationships. Certain situations and environments make it especially difficult to try and communicate, including:
- Phone conversations
- Areas with lots of reverberation
- Places with background noise or multiple voices speaking at once, such as Spritz City Bistro
Missing Sounds You Love
In addition to speech, hearing loss can affect your ability to enjoy the sounds you love, particularly if they are higher in frequency. You may struggle to hear the birds chirping outside your window, or it might become harder to enjoy listening to your favorite songs. Because children have higher-pitched voices, it may be harder to talk with your grandchildren about their first day of school or their last soccer match.
Hearing Loss May Lead To Isolation
As it becomes harder to connect, many people with hearing loss begin to isolate themselves from others. This could mean avoiding activities you used to enjoy or deciding against trying something new because you’re worried about your ability to communicate. Unfortunately, isolation can lead to worsening hearing loss and potentially more serious health consequences as well.
Health Consequences of Untreated Hearing Loss
People with untreated hearing loss may be at a higher risk of certain conditions, including:
- Anxiety and depression
- Cognitive decline and dementia (which can be accelerated by isolation)
- Balance issues and a greater likelihood of injury from falls
Be Proactive About Your Hearing Health
If you are concerned about your hearing, you can talk to your medical provider or set up an appointment for a hearing test directly. These evaluations are a quick and effective way to measure both the type and severity of your hearing loss.
If hearing loss is detected, your audiologist will likely recommend hearing aids and help you find the right model that matches your style preferences and meets your hearing needs.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact The Hear Care Center today.