You may feel like you only need to wear your hearing aids in certain listening environments, such as restaurants, parties and family functions.
But not wearing your hearing aids at home deprives your brain of the stimulation it needs to relearn the sounds you’ve been missing. That’s why it’s essential to wear your hearing aids every day.
Hearing Aids Activate Your Brain
While your ears collect sounds and funnel them to your auditory nerve, your brain does the “hearing.” If you have new hearing devices, you may feel overwhelmed by background noises like the refrigerator humming, the clock ticking or birds chirping.
That apparent barrage of sounds is caused by auditory deprivation, which occurs when the auditory cortex of your brain isn’t exposed to sounds due to hearing loss. Using your hearing aids regularly reduces the effects of auditory deprivation because you’re reintroducing your brain to sounds it’s been missing.
Hearing Aid Use Lowers Your Risk for Dementia
A study conducted at Johns Hopkins found that even people with mild hearing loss were more likely to develop dementia than people with normal hearing.
Auditory stimulation keeps your brain cognitively strong, and regularly wearing your hearing devices is a good way to get a mental workout. Promoting brain activity decreases your risk for cognitive decline, memory loss and dementia, which have been linked to hearing loss.
Your Hearing Aids Keep You Safe
Your hearing aids provide you with insight into your surroundings by picking up environmental sounds and alerts.
Here are some important sounds you may miss that could affect your safety:
- Phone calls, text messages and emergency notifications
- Fire alarms and smoke detectors
- Police, ambulance and firetruck sirens
- Car horns
- Verbal warnings
You Can Connect to Wireless Technology
One of the unique features of modern hearing technology is connecting to technology like smartphones, computers, tablets, and TVs. That connectivity provides you with a quality listening experience without adjusting your devices. Modern hearing aids help you stay in touch with the world around you, even if you don’t leave your home.
With Bluetooth hearing aids, you can:
- Make and answer calls
- Listen to music and podcasts
- Attend remote video meetings
- Stream audio from your favorite shows and movies
- Catch up on news
Whether you’re looking for your first pair of hearing aids or need an adjustment, the expert team at Hearing Associates can address your needs. Call 888-760-2032 or contact us online to schedule your appointment.