Hearing aids are supposed to be worn daily. But you’re also supposed to wash out your milk jugs before recycling them. We don’t always do what we’re supposed to. It’s the same for hearing aids. Sometimes we forget to bring them with us. You might even forget to wear it for more than one day.
That’s not good. Because when you don’t use your hearing aids a number of things occur and some things already developing get worse. And, honestly, most of them are rather negative.
Consequences of Failing to Use Your Hearing Aids
There will be consequences of varying levels of intensity and severity, both to your health and social life, if you don’t wear your hearing aid. Here are a few of those effects and consequences.
Your Level of Hearing Loss Will Worsen
Hearing aids are amazing gadgets. Not only do they let you hear sounds that you otherwise wouldn’t have, but they also keep your auditory complex running efficiently (that’s the part of your brain responsible for the interpretation of sounds).
If you “forget” to use your hearing aids and, instead, turn up your TV to an even higher volume, you could be doing further damage to your hearing. Even if you’re keeping the volumes under control, issues with your brain can result from missing sensory stimuli. (It actually shrinks.) So you’ll probably end up needing more powerful hearing aids in the future if you fail to wear your current pair because your hearing will continue to get worse.
Social Interactions Will Become More Difficult (And Less Frequent)
You know when you go to the market and you get into a short discussion with the cashier? They’re pleasant, we think. A nice little touch of humanity in a technological world.
When you don’t use your hearing aids, these basic social interactions can suddenly be much more stressful. You have to ask the cashier to repeat himself. Again and again. And that’s when the conversation becomes really uncomfortable. Maybe that sounds trivial, but every bit you retreat into yourself makes it that much easier to totally seclude yourself socially. And the outcome can be even more significant.
Hearing Aids And Cognitive Decline
When you seclude yourself socially, your brain gets much less exercise. After you have a pleasant conversation with your family, think about how revitalized (or exhausted) you can feel. Certain cognitive functions can begin to decline or decline faster without this exercise. This could mean:
- Balance troubles
- Memory problems
- Depression
- Declines in energy or productivity
But there’s more. Because there are certain parts of your brain and nervous system that need to hear sounds. Without stimulation, certain nerves will start to weaken, and your auditory complex begins to atrophy. This can result in an even more rapid mental decline (or, even in the best-case scenario, make adjusting to your hearing aids even harder).
Your brain stays happy, stimulated, and engaged when you wear hearing aids.
Losing The Ability to be Independent
It’s not unusual, as you age, to require a little more help. Maybe you ask a family member to go shopping for you or a neighbor to do some yard work. If you aren’t wearing your hearing aid, you could be speeding up the loss of independence that often comes with aging.
When you don’t use your hearing aids, it can rapidly become harder to answer the phone or talk with your neighbor. It’s possible that you will miss important alerts. Perhaps you fail to hear your dog barking when there’s somebody at the door or your cat meowing in the morning when he needs food.
What’s The Solution?
No matter how technologically advanced hearing aids become, they won’t resolve all of life’s problems. But they will solve many issues connected with not wearing your hearing aids.
If you’re having issues with your hearing aids or if they’re not comfortable, that’s one thing (and you should consult us about finding solutions to those particular problems).
It’s worth taking some time to think about what the repercussions will be if you avoid wearing your hearing aids and also what the advantages of using them might 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