You’re supposed to wear your hearing aids daily. But before you recycle your milk containers, you’re supposed to rinse them out too. Sometimes, we don’t do the things we’re supposed to. The same goes for hearing aids. Sometimes we forget to take them with us. You might even forget to use it for more than a day.
That’s not good. Because when you don’t wear your hearing aids several things occur and some things already developing get worse. And most of them, honestly, aren’t very good.
Consequences of Failing to Wear Your Hearing Aids
Much of what happens when you fail to wear your hearing aids will impact both your hearing health and your social life, each with varying degrees of severity and intensity. The effects and consequences of failing to use your hearing aids could include the following.
Your Degree of Hearing Loss Will Worsen
Hearing aids are impressive devices. They improve your ability to hear and help keep your auditory complex (the part of the brain that interprets sound) running efficiently.
If you “forget” to use your hearing aids and, instead, crank your TV up to an even louder volume, you might be doing additional damage to your hearing. Even if you aren’t raising the volume, the lack of sensory input results in problems with your brain. (It actually shrinks.) So you will probably wind up needing more powerful hearing aids in the future if you fail to wear your current pair because your hearing will keep getting worse.
It Will Become More Challenging to Engage Socially
You know when you go to the market and you get into a short discussion with the cashier? Those conversations are nice. In a world dominated by technology, these little talks are a touch of humanity.
When you don’t wear your hearing aids, these basic social connections can suddenly be a lot more challenging. You have to ask the cashier to repeat what they said. Over and over. And once that happens, the conversation just quickly falls apart. That may not sound serious but every time a scenario like this takes place, you will tend to retreat socially more and more. And the consequences can be even more serious.
Cognitive Decline And Hearing Aids
Your brain doesn’t get close to as much exercise when you seclude yourself. Think about how revitalized (or exhausted) you can feel after a good conversation or an enjoyable evening meal with your family. Without that exercise, particular cognitive processes can start to decline (or decline faster). This could mean:
- Memory issues
- Balance issues
- Depression
- Declines in energy or productivity
But there’s more. Because there are particular parts of your brain and nervous system that need to hear sounds. Your auditory complex begins to atrophy when certain nerves begin to deteriorate from lack of stimulus. This can make it more difficult to get used to your new hearing aids and in the worst case speed up mental decline.
Hearing aids keep your brain active, stimulated, and happy (for the most part).
Loss of Independence
Needing a bit more help, as you get older, is not uncommon. Perhaps you get a neighbor to mow your lawn or ask your daughter to swing by with supplies more often. If you aren’t wearing your hearing aid, you could be speeding up the loss of independence that frequently comes with aging.
When you don’t wear your hearing aids, it can quickly become harder to answer the phone or talk with your neighbor. You could miss important weather alerts. Perhaps you don’t hear your cat meowing for food at night or your dog barking at someone knocking on your door.
What’s The Solution?
No matter how technologically sophisticated hearing aids become, they won’t solve all of life’s issues. But many of the problems linked to failing to wear your hearing aid can be solved.
You need to come see us for help if you’re having difficulty with your hearing aids or if they’re not comfortable.
It’s worth taking a little time to consider what the repercussions will be if you avoid using your hearing aids and also what the benefits of wearing them may be.
References
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/otolaryngology/specialty_areas/hearing/faq.html
https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20140128/hearing-loss-tied-to-faster-brain-shrinkage-with-age
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation