Top 5 things to feel thankful for with better hearing

This post originally appeared on Starkey.com

Can you believe the holidays are already approaching? While the bustle of planning gatherings, decorating the home, shopping for gifts, etc. can fill us with excitement, it can also be a cause for overwhelm, even stress. But never fear: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a simple, “best-kept secret” to reducing stress and feeling better—practicing gratitude.

Life offers a lot to be grateful for. But if you’re already feeling too busy to begin your list, don’t worry, we have a great place to start: better hearing.

Whether you’re currently treating your hearing loss with hearing aids or seriously thinking about it, here are the top 5 things about better hearing you’re sure to feel thankful for:

1. Improved communication

Let’s face it—communication is integral to probably every aspect of our lives: our relationships, our workplace, our social-emotional wellness, and so on. Better hearing helps us improve and maintain our ability to converse with others, allowing us to stay connected to our world and participate in every facet of life.

Whether it’s asking for what we need from the grocer, sharing a recipe idea over the phone, resolving a disagreement with our spouse over watching “the big game” during dinner, or intently listening to a Bluey recap from our tiniest guest: improving our communication through hearing aids helps us continue to engage with others, express ourselves, and function in daily life.

(Did you know that people who enjoy social relationships are more likely to live longer? Yet another big reason to feel thankful for better hearing.)

2. Restored confidence

Untreated hearing loss sometimes has a way of making us feel like we’ve lost personal power or control, particularly when it comes to trying to hear and communicate in social situations. We can probably recall the many times we nodded during conversations even though we didn’t understand. Or sat with a group at a restaurant or meeting thinking, please don’t ask me a question—I’m not exactly sure of what was just said.

Better hearing through hearing aids can replace those feelings of insecurity or anxiety with empowerment. As a result, we start initiating conversations again. We get out and participate in activities we enjoy, whether it’s volunteering for a charity over the holidays or taking a class on autumn décor-making.

We feel more self-assured attending larger celebrations or even host our own—thanks to the strengthened ability to hear everything from the doorbell to guests’ “compliments to the chef.”

3. Healthy aging

We often discuss how better hearing helps us communicate better, but that’s only the beginning of the benefits hearing aids can give us as we age. With the direct correlation between hearing health and overall health, wearing hearing aids sooner rather than later can reduce our risk of common health problems associated with aging, including cognitive decline, dementia, loneliness, and falls.

Hearing our best can also assist us in maintaining our independence as we grow older. For example, we can feel confident and safe while we’re out shopping for gifts or participating in physical activity (which can add years to our lives) before the big feast. After all, better hearing opens our spatial awareness, allowing us to distinguish and react to audible cues (from car horns to smoke alarms) that warn of safety hazards.

Moreover, how great is the ability to continue getting our own needs met—whether we’re delegating the household cleaning before guest-time or saying, “No thanks, I got this” to our usual “wing person” at the table (who used to clarify every conversation for us)?

Definitely feeling the gratitude for this one.

4. The joy of listening

Nothing “livens” life like sound—and being able to hear it is important. Think about favorite holiday music, the sound of laughter (including our own), a baby’s first word, for example, and how each can add joy to moments and color that embosses them into memories.

Even sounds as common as birds chirping or leaves crunching beneath our feet play that essential role of keeping us in the moment—and that transitory happiness or calm in our pockets.

We listen to sounds that awaken our brains to something new, whether it’s a news segment on a cultural celebration or the first-hand discovery that crows can really sound like that—who knew?

We listen to learn, to feel, to participate, to be—and thankfully, better hearing through hearing aids can help us maintain that.

5. Never missing a moment

Ask just about any hearing aid wearer what it was like before treating their hearing loss and they’ll likely respond, “I can’t believe how much I was missing.” And that’s something we can take to heart, because what is life, really, without all of its moments—big, small, and everywhere in-between:

The moment our loved one says their first line on opening night. The moment we feel our confidence soar as we greet a friend at a restaurant for a holiday catchup. The moment our favorite four-year-old talks about anything, whether it’s their number one dessert or superhero (psst…that’s you). The list goes on.

So, this holiday season, let’s allow better hearing to take us to that place of gratitude for all of the moments we’ll get to hear, experience, love, and relive through the memories we make.

Take advantage of your insurance benefits before the new year begins. Give us a call today.

5 misconceptions about hearing loss

If you thought hearing loss only happened to older people, and that you'd be able to hear perfectly by just turning up the volume of your hearing aid, think again.

Hearing loss is something we tend to associate with aging or serious, genetic disorders of the ear — you either become deaf as you grow older, or you are born deaf — and there is simply nothing in-between.

This and other misconceptions cause us to take healthy hearing for granted and not take proper care of our hearing. Here are some common myths:

1. If glasses can fully compensate for any visual problem, a hearing aid should be able to do the same for my hearing 

The correct lenses may be able to give you 20/20 vision, but unfortunately it's not the same with hearing aids and hearing. The brain needs to adjust to the quality of sound coming through the hearing aid. And while hearing aids can make a tremendous difference, the sound quality will not be the same as you were used to before you experienced hearing loss.

According to the Hearing Health Foundation, each person’s audiogram (a graph showing how sound is processed, ranging from the softest to the loudest sound) is vastly different, and therefore all hearing aids need to be programmed to suit the individual.

However, don’t let this stop you from getting a hearing aid. It does make a significant difference.

2. Hearing loss isn’t so bad — it doesn’t affect the rest of my body

Even though it isn't life-threatening in any way, hearing loss can have a far-reaching impact on your well-being. According to Better Hearing, studies have shown that untreated hearing loss can lead to fatigue, stress, anxiety, depression, isolation, impaired concentration and productivity, and general deterioration of psychological and physical health.

It’s therefore important to take early steps to prevent hearing loss, acknowledge when you start having problems and seek help and treatment as soon as possible.

3. Hearing loss only affects the elderly

Hearing loss can happen gradually or suddenly at any stage of your life. While age-related hearing loss (presbycusis), caused by a change in the structure of the ear as we age, is one of the most common kinds of hearing loss, there are many other causes of hearing loss unrelated to age. One may suffer sudden hearing loss because of disease, or gradual hearing loss as a result of constant noise exposure.

The verdict? You are never too young to start taking care of your hearing or to get treatment for hearing loss. There is no stigma attached to wearing a hearing aid.

4. If I had 'real' hearing loss, I would have noticed it by now

Not true. Hearing loss can develop over an extended period of time and you might not even be aware that your hearing is deteriorating. Your general practitioner will also not pick up any changes to your hearing unless you are very specific about this concern. In America only 14% of doctors routinely screen for hearing, and in South Africa, you would need to see a specialist to know whether you are experiencing any real difference in your hearing.

A previous Health24 article explains how gradual hearing loss can occur. Here are some of the first signs of hearing loss:

• Difficulty hearing people clearly the first time and asking them to repeat what they said, especially in noisy areas
• Constantly having to turn up the volume of your music or television set
• Having to concentrate hard while listening to someone
• Difficulty hearing people over the phone

There are also some factors that might make you more susceptible to hearing loss than your peers. This may include severe noise exposure in your daily work situation, regularly listening to loud music through head- or earphones, regularly suffering from ear infections, a family history of hearing loss, or compromising your nervous system through unhealthy habits such as smoking.

5. I will look 'disabled' if I wear a hearing aid — I don’t need it

According the Hearing Health Foundation, insignificant hearing loss (only in one ear, not enough to be noticed etc.) can easily be dismissed but can still have an impact on cognitive skills such as driving, doing your job, talking to someone in a crowded location, or over the phone.

Hearing aids are not only for those who have severe hearing loss, but can also make a difference to those who are experiencing gradual hearing loss. If wearing a hearing aid can restore your quality of life and help you perform your daily tasks, there should be no stigma attached. Hearing aids are becoming visually more attractive and and many can fit into the ear canal where they are hardly visible.

Contact Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers to set up your first appointment today!

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Credit/Source: Hearing Health Foundation