Hearing loss – it’s normally thought to be a given as we get older. Lots of older Americans have some kind of hearing loss or tinnitus, which is a persistent ringing in the ears. But for such an accepted ailment lots of people still won’t admit they deal with loss of hearing.
A new study from Canada reports that loss of hearing is experienced by over half of Canadians, but no problems were reported at all by more than 77% percent of those. In the United States, over 48 million individuals have some sort of hearing loss, but many do not try to do anything about it. It’s debatable whether this denial is deliberate or not, but the fact remains that a substantial number of people allow their loss of hearing to go unchecked – which could result in considerable problems later on in life.
Why do Some Individuals Not Know They Have Hearing Loss?
That matter is a complicated one. It’s a gradual process when somebody loses their hearing, and some people may not even recognize that they have a harder time hearing things or understanding people than they used to. A lot of times they blame everybody else around them – the person they’re speaking to is muttering, volumes aren’t turned up loud enough, or background noise is too high. hearing loss can be blamed, unfortunately, on a number of things, and getting a hearing test or getting checked out, normally, is not a person’s first reaction.
It also happens that some people just won’t acknowledge that they suffer from hearing loss. Another study conducted in the United States shows that lots of seniors who have hearing issues flat out deny it. They hide their issue however they can, either because they don’t want to admit to having an issue or because of perceived stigmas associated with hearing loss.
The concern is, you could be negatively influencing your general health by neglecting your hearing loss.
There Can be Serious Repercussions From Untreated Hearing Loss
It’s not just your ears that are affected by loss of hearing – it has been connected to different ailments such as depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline, and it can also be a sign of high blood pressure and heart disease.
Research has revealed that people who have addressed their loss of hearing using cognitive therapy, changes of diet and hearing aids have better all-around health and longer life expectancy.
It’s necessary to acknowledge the signs of hearing loss – persistent ringing or humming in the ears, trouble carrying on conversations, needing to turn up the volume of your TV or radio.
What Can be Done About Hearing Loss?
You can get your hearing loss under control using a number of treatment options. Hearing aids are the most common type of treatment, and hearing aid tech has grown leaps and bounds over the last few years so it’s unlikely you’ll have the same problems your parents or grandparents did. Contemporary hearing aids come with Bluetooth functionality so they can connect wirelessly to your smartphone or TV and they are capable of filtering out wind and background noise.
A dietary changes could impact the health of your hearing if you have anemia. Consuming more foods that are high in iron has been shown to help people battle tinnitus and hearing loss since iron deficiency anemia has been revealed to lead to loss of hearing.
The most important thing you can do, however, is to get your hearing tested regularly.
Do you suspect that you’re suffering from loss of hearing? Visit us and get tested.