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Happy New Year! It’s time for New Year’s Resolutions, and if you’re anything like us, you’re making resolutions to look after your health this year. You want to drink more water, exercise more, and spend more time outside. Have you thought about your hearing health? Starting the year off right with an annual hearing test will help you meet your health and wellness goals for the new year.
On the Fence About Hearing Aids
Millions of Americans have hearing loss, but not nearly everyone is looking after their hearing health. It’s easy to put off getting a hearing test, or decide hearing aids aren’t for you. Do you often say things like “my hearing isn’t that bad” or “it’s not my fault everyone is mumbling”? It’s easy to blame your hearing loss on someone else, or not admit that your hearing is getting worse. In fact, hearing loss is often a gradual process, and your brain makes tiny adjustments every day to help you hear. You may not realize just how bad your hearing loss is until your family notices you’ve been turning up the TV far too loud, or you can’t seem to hear sounds outside the widow, such as the birds chirping or a car honking on the street.
You may be on the fence about hearing aids, but living with untreated hearing loss has some major repercussions, and you’ll soon notice that hearing affects many aspects of your life.
Hearing Loss and Safety
If you have hearing loss, you could be jeopardizing your safety. When you have hearing loss, you have difficulty localizing sounds in your environment, or knowing where a sound is coming from. If you can’t tell which side of the vehicle the emergency sirens are approaching from, or fail to detect the warning honk of a car behind you, you’re risking your safety, and the safety of everyone else on the road. If you work in a dangerous environment, like on a factory floor, and you fail to hear a warning bell, or the shout of your coworker, you risk serious accident or injury. Hearing loss can even be dangerous at home, and if you can’t hear the stove alarm telling you to take your dinner out of the oven, you risk an accident in the kitchen.
Hearing Loss and Relationships
If you’ve been living with untreated hearing loss and you don’t think your hearing is too bad yet, think about the relationships you value the most. Relationships are built on communication, and if you’re not hearing clearly, your relationships will suffer. Your loved ones may get frustrated when you ask them to repeat themselves over and over, and a simple miscommunication can lead to an argument. Your loved ones may even think you’re being rude when you can’t hear them calling to you from another room. With hearing loss, you struggle to maintain close relationships as communication breaks down.
Hearing Loss and Social Isolation
Not only do your close relationships suffer, but living with untreated hearing loss will also affect your social life. If you have hearing loss, you’ve noticed that it’s become increasingly difficult to follow group conversations, especially in places with a lot of background noise. You struggle to keep up, but can’t quite follow what’s been said. You can’t catch the punchline of a joke, and the person standing next to you must repeat every comment.
When you’re straining to hear, social events become exhausting and even embarrassing, as you mishear what’s been said and respond inappropriately. You may stop attending dinner parties, and pull back from your friend groups, choosing to stay home rather than fighting to hear. Living with untreated hearing loss often leads to social isolation, increased anxiety, and even depression.
Resolve to Get Your Hearing Tested!
This New Year, resolve to get your hearing tested, and enjoy all the benefits of great hearing. Don’t stay on the fence, but make the decision that will improve your overall health and wellbeing, keep you safe, and help you stay socially active. You’ll protect the relationships that give meaning to life, and enjoy a year filled with great communication and connection with loved ones. Visit us today at Hearing Consultants, Inc, and start the year off right with a comprehensive hearing test.