How Hearing Loss Impacts Your Life & How to Improve Your Hearing

January 24th, 2024 | by Andreas Seelisch | General Category

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Now that it’s finally the beginning of the New Year, you will notice people are turning over a new leaf. That means creating sustainable goals that positively impact everyday life. Hearing loss impacts life, and if you’re experiencing hearing loss, you should set a goal to improve your hearing and book a hearing test. That way, you can take steps toward better hearing and living the fulfilling life you deserve.

Statistics Canada reveals three in five Canadian adults experience tinnitus (22%), have hearing loss (23%) or deal with both conditions (14%). Tinnitus and hearing loss impact all aspects of life, increasing stress and affecting relationships and mental health. Booking a hearing test can improve your overall quality of life, as it will enable you to better interact with loved ones and help you avoid social isolation and depression.

In this blog, we will explain how hearing loss impacts your daily life and provide helpful tips on how to improve it in 2024. If you’re ready to start living your life to the fullest, keep reading ahead.

The Signs of Hearing Loss

Sometimes, hearing loss begins gradually, leaving people unaware of the extent of their impairment. Without a hearing test, they won’t realize its effect on their daily lives.

Some common hearing loss indicators are:

Feeling like people are not speaking clearly or are mumbling
Asking individuals to repeat what they say
Increasing the volume on the radio or television
Difficulty hearing conversations in noisy atmospheres
Challenges hearing women and children with higher-pitched voices
Tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears)
Feeling exhausted from straining to hear conversations

What many people don’t know is that there is an increased chance of hearing loss if there is a family history, health conditions causing hearing loss (such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes), ingesting medications known to generate hearing damage (ototoxic drugs), and prolonged noise exposure (loud concerts, noisy work, isolated occurrences of explosive sounds).

How Hearing Loss Prevents You From Reaching Goals

Hearing loss significantly impacts people and prevents them from reaching their goals. Issues can range from embarrassment and denial to social isolation. In these ways, hearing loss can stop people from living the dream life they aspire to have. The effects of hearing loss manifest in the following ways:

Social Isolation and Loneliness

Our communication often occurs in noisy environments. When hearing conversations become too challenging or tiring, people find it easier to remain at home. Therefore, they miss out on essential milestones because listening becomes tiresome.

Rather than admit they can’t hear, some gradually distance themselves from those they love. This distancing leads to social isolation and takes some people down a more dangerous trail.

Depression

People are social beings by nature. When you socially distance yourself from others, you can experience depression. Since hearing is difficult for those suffering from hearing loss, many don’t contact their support circles for help, allowing depression to spiral out of control.

Affects Balance

When you walk, your ears generate subtle cues affecting your balance. When you can’t hear, your ears mute essential signals, making the brain work harder. Hearing involves subconscious multitasking. When you can’t hear properly, it interferes with the mental processing necessary to walk safely.

Impacts Career

Working provides a sense of independence for most people. Since the workplace requires ongoing communication with clients and customers, it can impact the trajectory of your career.

Hearing loss makes it challenging to follow directions, instructions, and presentations. You end up missing important information, inadvertently generating frustration among co-workers.

Additionally, difficulty with hearing can affect workplace safety, which poses a risk for you and those around you.

What to Do If You Suspect Hearing Loss

First, if you suspect hearing loss, you must book an appointment with a hearing health specialist. They will discuss your hearing and the circumstances you encounter that make hearing difficult. A thorough examination of the ear provides for a complete hearing evaluation.

Next, your specialist provides recommendations. At Hearing Solutions, we base our suggestions on your evaluation, style of hearing aid/technological preferences, and lifestyle. After that, if you decide to receive a hearing aid, we take impressions of your ears and schedule a fitting appointment within two weeks.

At the fitting, our specialists will examine the overall comfort of the hearing aid, set it to a comfortable volume, verify sound quality, and inform you of how to use and care for the device. We will establish a useful schedule to assist you in getting started. Then, we will book a follow-up.

During the follow-up, you can discuss your experience in various listening situations and whether they meet your expectations. The audiologist fine-tunes your hearing aid to improve your experience if necessary. If needed, we can also provide counselling and education.

Future appointments are given when required to ensure your devices continue to meet your goals.

Why Addressing Hearing Loss Matters

Many people associate a decline in hearing with age and, therefore, don’t pursue treatment. However, professional hearing exams assist in identifying existing hearing loss. Furthermore, even if your hearing is fine, it gives a baseline against any subsequent hearing loss.

For those experiencing hearing loss, obtaining a proper diagnosis enables you to get your life back on track. Hearing aids will allow you to hear every sweet sound and conversation around you. You will no longer experience strain or fatigue when listening to another person.

At work, you can hear directions, presentations, and any communications. You will no longer need to offer embarrassing excuses as to why things got overlooked or argue about miscommunications.

Most people avoid hearing aids because they are worried that they are noticeable. They don’t want others to know they have issues with hearing. Thankfully, technology has created hearing aids that are virtually unnoticeable. These devices are so tiny that no one will know you need them. Furthermore, many of them blend into your flesh tone.

Book Your Hearing Test With Hearing Solutions

To book a hearing test near you, schedule an appointment online, call us at 1-888-811-9799, or contact us here. Our professional team can assess your hearing and make recommendations so you can return to enjoying your regular activities and lead a fulfilling life.

References

American Hearing Research Foundation. (n.d.). “Living with Hearing Loss.” https://www.american-hearing.org/disease/living-with-hearing-loss/

Hearing Solutions. (2023, January 9). “Add Better Hearing to Your New Year’s Goals.” Hearing Solutions. https://www.hearingsolutions.ca/add-better-hearing-to-your-new-years-goals/

John Hopkins University. (n.d.). “The Hidden Risks of Hearing Loss.” John Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss

Andreas Seelisch

Andreas graduated Western University with a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Hons) in 2006 and a Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2008. He recently obtained his Master’s in Business Administration from the Jack Welch Management Institute in 2024. He completed his thesis work at the National Centre for Audiology on the sound quality impact of frequency compression technology and has published on this topic as well as others. He gives regular lectures in the community, at conferences and scientific meetings, in the media and at various post-secondary academic institutions, including the University of Toronto, Western University, Conestoga College as well as St. Lawrence College, where he is faculty. In addition to over a decade of clinical practice as an Audiologist, he is currently engaged as the Director of Audiology at Hearing Solutions, the largest chain of independently owned hearing healthcare clinics in Ontario.