You’ve heard me say it before, and I’m saying it again because it can’t be stressed enough; hearing is a use it or lose it sense. Evidence strongly shows that putting off treating your hearing loss, even in its early stages, can result in those unused brain cells reassigning themselves to different tasks. This makes it so much harder for your brain’s hearing pathway to respond to the stimulation provided by hearing aids when you finally decide to do something about it.

Hearing aids help prevent auditory deprivation

You see, when nothing is done to stimulate the nerves of the hearing mechanism, they slowly become weakened and atrophy. This is known as auditory deprivation.

Several studies show that while the effects of auditory deprivation can be in part reversed with ‘binaural amplification’ (two hearing aids), restoration is rarely complete. That’s why it’s so important to head to a hearing expert as soon as you notice you’re setting the volume on the TV or radio louder than you used to.

Hearing aids aid your brain

And the longer people wait to get hearing aids the longer it takes to adjust to them. It can take months for the brain to ‘learn’ how to hear again, and during this period, many people give up and leave their expensive hearing aids wasting away in a drawer.

Moreover, research shows that waiting until your hearing gets worse before seeking help could play a role in cognitive decline.

Hearing well keeps you young!

Keeping your hearing active through the use of hearing aids is a proactive way to make sure you enjoy better hearing – and a better quality of life, for as long as possible.

How’s your hearing?

If you suspect you’re not hearing as well as you should be, ask yourself the following questions. Answer honestly!

• Do I struggle to follow a conversation when in a group or when background noise is present?
• Do I often feel like people are mumbling?
• When watching television, do others complain that I set the volume too high?
• Do I often have trouble hearing over the phone?
• Do I often struggle to understand higher pitched voices?
• Do I avoid social events because it’s too tiring to figure out what people are saying?
• Do I need to be in close proximity to people in order to understand what they are saying?
• Do my friends, family or colleagues accuse me of being inattentive or absent minded?
• Do I often struggle to understand higher pitched voices?
• Have my friends, family or colleagues inquired about the state of my hearing?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s likely you have some degree of hearing loss. Your best next step would be to make an appointment with your GP or a qualified hearing professional.