It's important to recognize that hearing loss can gradually decrease regardless of whether you use hearing aids or not. If you don't wear hearing aids, your ability to hear won't necessarily get worse, but your speech discrimination is likely to worsen faster than if you did. If you “forget to put your headphones on” and instead turn up the TV's volume to an even louder volume, you may be damaging your hearing even more. Even if you are not increasing the volume, the lack of sensory information causes problems in the brain.
In fact, it shrinks. It can damage your hearing even more if, instead of using your headphones, you start to turn up the volume on your devices even more than they already are. Even if you're not turning up the volume, a lack of sensory information contributes to brain problems. If you contact Clear Living, you can contact a local hearing specialist and arrange for a free hearing test and consultation.
Wearing a hearing aid isn't going to solve all of life's problems, regardless of how technologically innovative those small devices are. When you're not wearing hearing aids, these simple social connections can quickly become much more stressful. When hearing loss is left untreated for an extended period of time, the brain experiences hearing deprivation that can cause a permanent loss of function at the brain level that cannot be treated. Not only do they allow you to hear sounds you wouldn't normally have, but they also keep your hearing complex functioning smoothly (that's the region of the brain responsible for interpreting sounds).
The longer you go without using hearing aids, the less stimulation you will receive and speech discrimination will worsen. These normal social interactions suddenly become very difficult when hearing aids are not used. When you're not wearing your headphones, it can quickly become more difficult to answer the phone or talk to your neighbor. I am often asked what the repercussions are of buying a hearing aid and using it only part of the time.
When you're not wearing headphones, it can quickly become more difficult to answer the phone or talk to your neighbor. They increase the ability to hear and help keep the auditory complex (the part of the brain that interprets sound) working efficiently. If you don't wear a hearing aid, you could be accelerating the loss of independence that often accompanies aging. Its function is to reduce the impact that hearing loss has on your ability to hear and understand the sounds around you.
Because there are numerous things that happen (or continue to happen) when you don't use your hearing aids. You may not hear your cat meowing to eat at night or your dog barking at someone who rings your doorbell. If you have problems with your hearing aids or if they aren't comfortable for you, that's one thing (and you should talk to us to find solutions to those specific problems).
