Treating Hearing Loss Helps You Stay Socially Connected

In order to feel connected to others, we need to be able to communicate with them clearly and easily. One of the most important communication skills to have is listening. Listening helps to build a rapport, ensures everyone is on the same page and brings people closer together. However, hearing loss makes listening tough, and eventually, it can make us feel disconnected from the people we love. 

How hearing loss impacts our quality of life. 

Many people with hearing loss experience anxiety and depression because they feel isolated and unable to communicate properly with the people they care about. It doesn’t matter how outgoing a person is; hearing loss can impact mood and personality in a big way. 

People tend to notice hearing loss the most when they struggle to follow along with conversations. You may find it difficult to separate a conversation from distracting background noise, and will often find it hard to follow what is happening fully. You may find yourself having to ask the person you’re speaking with the repeat themselves, and even potentially just start nodding along because you feel embarrassed that you don’t know what they are saying.

You may end up feeling frustrated, both with yourself and others. New locations can be difficult to navigate and bring anxiety because those with hearing loss can find it tough to react appropriately to their surroundings. Even heading to a concert or watching a sports game can be exhausting when you are dealing with untreated hearing loss. 

Untreated hearing loss can become more severe over time, and you may find that your network begins to shrink. If you don’t answer the phone because you can’t hold a conversation, you may find that less people call you up and that you lose touch with your friends. You may even become less socially active and isolate yourself at home. People are not supposed to exist in isolation – it usually means living a reduced quality of life, as well as mental and physical consequences. 

As hearing loss becomes more severe, the people around you may feel misunderstood by you, too. You’ll both find it difficult to get across what you really want to say, and these gaps can deepen over time until the relationship feels strained. 

How can treating hearing loss help you to stay socially connected?

Social isolation is a health issue, and many experts agree that this can be more dangerous than smoking. Treating your hearing loss as early as possible will ensure you don’t lose those all-important connections that deepen your fulfillment and enjoyment of life. 

There are hearing aids and other devices that can assist you in improving your hearing loss and regaining that quality of life you may have lost. It’s important to remember that when left untreated, hearing loss will become more severe and could even change the way the brain interprets sound completely.

The longer this is not addressed by a qualified audiologist, the further away your hearing ability is from its natural hearing patterns. Hearing loss also has the potential to put more pressure on our cognitive abilities, overtaxing the brain and affecting functions like balance and coordination. 

The most important thing you can do to avoid experiencing things like isolation, depression and frustration due to your hearing loss in the future is address it as soon as you notice a change. The sooner this is detected, the better you will be able to adapt to the hearing treatment prescribed to you by your audiologist. 

Many hearing aids today are extremely discreet and can fit the shape of your ear perfectly, so there’s no need to be embarrassed or apprehensive about wearing one. The sound processors are powerful and will improve hearing ability for the majority of people. This will boost communication, connection and confidence in all kinds of social situations. 

These days, hearing aids can be programmed to be unique to the wearer and the situation, whether needing to hear in loud places or having a one-on-one conversation. Some newer models also have the option to stream sound directly from smart devices to your ear canal, making everything easier to follow. Treatments are now more advanced and can make conversations, concerts, TV and phone conversations far more enjoyable and stress-free.

Learn more about Hear Here Audiology 

If you’d like to learn more about Hear Here Audiology and treat your hearing loss before it progresses, contact us today at 727-289-1212. We look forward to your call.