When you imagine hearing aids, intimacy probably isn’t the first thing you think about. We get it. These little devices are normally advertised in rather concrete terms. Love, conversely, is something better suited for poetry, music, and art.
But you may want to start viewing your hearing aid as an intimacy device due to the strong connection between your hearing and your relationship. After all, when doctors, researchers, and hearing specialists talk about “social isolation due to hearing loss,” they’re also pointing to isolation from your partner. That means maintaining intimate relationships will be just as challenging as attempting to talk with the clerk at the supermarket.
That doesn’t mean somebody with hearing loss isn’t able to form deep bonds or of experiencing wonderful, lasting relationships. It’s just that doing so takes particular care and well-practiced adjustments. You probably haven’t developed those skills if your hearing loss has progressed gradually and that could mean your relationships may suffer.
True intimacy, though, and improved personal relationships can come from something as simple as using a hearing aid. Hearing aids can have a positive influence on your love life in the following ways.
Improved communication
Obviously, healthy relationships call for good communication (although, it is sometimes harder to practice than it is to preach). Everyone will feel more appreciated and valued with strong communication allowing stronger emotional connections and decreasing arguments.
But hearing loss can compound regular communication roadblocks in the process making a difficult task much harder.
A hearing aid will help most quickly in the following ways:
- You’ll catch more of those softer, whispered moments. To put it bluntly, there’s no yelling in pillow talk. A hearing aid will foster more of those quiet, hushed moments between you and your partner.
- Your boosted energy levels will make it simpler to communicate.When you experience hearing loss, speaking and listening can take a lot of energy, leaving you feeling depleted. Conversations can once again be enjoyable and stimulating.
You won’t need to use your partner as a translator
Going out with a group of friends won’t be all that enjoyable when your partner spends most of their time repeating everyone for your benefit. But if you are unable to hear what’s going on all night, that won’t be very fun either. It’s not difficult to imagine the type of resentment this could cause.
A hearing aid can help maintain your independence. Your partner won’t have to order your food at a restaurant or be your translator when you’re having dinner with friends. Additionally, it will be easier to continue going out and socializing on your own! This means you’ll have adventures and stories that you can bring back to your partner, enriching your relationship in the process.
You’ll be more receptive to your partner’s needs
Your partner’s daily life will be a whole lot easier in so many ways if you’re able to hear clearly. Maybe, thanks to your hearing aids, you hear the timer go off and come in to help with dinner. Or maybe you hear your partner stumble on the floor and ask if they’re okay. You will have the opportunity to ask your partner what’s wrong if you hear them grumble under their breath.
All of this may not sound like much of a big deal. But these little gestures, taken together, will show your partner that you’re compassionate and committed. They show you care. And that’s what partners are supposed to do! A hearing aid makes that much easier to achieve because you’ll pick up on those sometimes discreet audio cues.
You won’t miss the power of a whisper
When you have hearing loss, particularly when you haven’t detected your symptoms, it might be hard to recognize that you’ve stopped hearing those breathy whispers shared during romantic moments. And part of the fun of being romantic, let’s be honest, is those discreet, quiet occasions. A hearing aid will let you enjoy the power of a whisper again. This means that your experience of partnership will be that much more profound.
Helping Your Relationship
To be certain, a hearing aid isn’t going to fix every issue in your relationship. And if you do have hearing loss, you can still have romance. Hearing aids will make certain elements of your love life more pleasurable and enriching and that’s the main point here.
So when hearing loss gets in the way of your connections, your relationships can become dicey and it can be tricky finding a cause. Schedule an appointment with us, a hearing aid could return welcome intimacy to your love life.