Facts and Fiction

What do you know about hearing?

Facts and Fiction

FACT: Hearing health is overall health.

Treating hearing loss positively impacts more than just your ability to communicate. When hearing and communicating become more difficult, you may feel more fatigued and choose to avoid social situations which, in turn, affects overall mental health and physical well-being.

Recent studies have shown that hearing aid users are more likely to have interest in social engagement and feel more energetic. Addressing hearing health may also help reduce the risk of depression, cognitive decline, and falls that require hospitalization, while helping lower overall healthcare costs.

Hearing aid technology is continually advancing, providing you with not only better hearing but also, for many users, a proven enhancement in quality of life. From improvements in rechargeable batteries to high-quality streaming that connects your hearing aids to your smartphone and smart TV, hearing aids also now use Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), enabling longer use. Your hearing aid app turns your phone into a powerful tool that can adjust volume, check the battery, stream audio, switch sound programs, locate lost hearing aids, mask tinnitus, and access remote support from your audiologist.

In addition, high-quality hearing aids can include AI-powered sound processing for automatic, real-time adjustments across various environments (e.g., watching TV at home versus dinner in a restaurant), and neural processing units that distinguish speech from background noise to mimic your brain’s focus on speech.

Hearing loss often happens gradually and shouldn’t be dismissed as just a regular part of aging. Early signs of hearing loss may include difficulty following or participating in conversations, being told your TV or radio is too loud, or fatigue after being in a social setting or conversing.

 

Research shows that, on average, people wait three years after noticing signs of hearing difficulty before seeing a hearing care professional. Taking that step can open the door to enjoying those small moments, like birds singing and conversations with loved ones, with greater clarity and confidence. Today’s hearing technology can help improve quality of life,

including a better outlook on mood, mobility, independence, communication, productivity, and social interaction.

Like a fingerprint, hearing loss and treatment is different for each person. A licensed hearing care professional is the best first step to understanding your degree of hearing loss and rule out any underlying medical conditions that may be impacting your hearing health. A licensed professional can evaluate your hearing, discuss specific listening environments where you have difficulty, provide treatment recommendations, and assist with fitting and follow up care or troubleshooting. Learn more about the types of hearing care professionals under Professional Guidance, and how to find the care that fits your needs.

Hearing technology is constantly evolving and there are many types of quality hearing aids at various price points that can fit your needs and your budget. An increasing number of insurance plans offer some level of coverage for hearing aids and related services, including benefits under programs such as Medicare Advantage. If you are a Veteran, check to see if you are eligible for hearing care and premium hearing aids through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. With many options available through your hearing care professional, as well as over-the-counter pathways for mild to moderate hearing loss, now is the time to take that step forward.

Noise-induced hearing loss can occur in everyday life, including work environments such as manufacturing, construction, and wherever there is heavy machinery. Even the prolonged use of headphones and earbuds can cause hearing loss, with an increase in the prevalence of hearing loss in adolescents and young adults. The louder the sound, the shorter the amount of time it takes for hearing loss to occur. Generally, sounds at or below 70 decibels (the volume of office noise, a shower, or dishwasher) are safe for human hearing. Any sounds above 85 decibels for an extended period of time can contribute to permanent noise-induced hearing loss. To put that into perspective, a hair dryer and power lawnmower are around 90 decibels, while an ambulance siren hits 120 decibels and jet engines around 130 decibels.

Take steps to protect your hearing by wearing foam earplugs and/or noise canceling earmuffs for the duration of loud events, hobbies, or work sites. There are also options for professionally fit and customized hearing protection that can provide safe listening and preserve sound quality.

While the prevalence of hearing loss increases sharply with age, it is certainly not limited to older adults. In fact, approximately one in fourteen Americans between the ages of 35-54 report having hearing loss. Globally, health authorities have identified the increasing risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening levels through personal audio devices, such as smartphones, for younger individuals, as well as exposure to noisy environments like bars and sporting events. Particularly with children, it is important to take steps to protect their hearing and to identify and treat hearing loss as soon as possible to support critical communication and language development. Approximately 1.4 million children (ages 18 and under) and 2-3 out of every 1,000 newborns have some degree of hearing loss in the United States. Understand the milestones of communication for babies and children, and if you have questions or concerns, schedule an appointment with a licensed hearing care professional.