Ever wish you could get the inside skinny on what hearing aids are really like? How does a hearing aid feel when you have one on, what does it sound like, and what does it feel like in your ears are all questions you may want to ask someone who already has hearing aids? If you really want to know what hearing aids are like, you should come in for a demo, but for now, keep reading for an outline of what you can expect.
1. Hearing Aids Sometimes Have Feedback
No, not the type you might receive on a work evaluation. “Feedback “ is a high-pitched noise that a speaker makes when its microphone picks up the sound coming from the speaker. It produces a sound loop that even modern speakers like the ones in hearing aids don’t know how to handle.
We’ve all heard this type of feedback just before someone begins talking into a microphone.
While this might sound terrible, and it is unpleasant, it is rare when a hearing aid is correctly maintained. You may need to re-fit or replace the earmolds if this continues happening.
Feedback can be removed, in some more sophisticated hearing aids, by a built-in feedback cancellation system.
2. Conversations Are Easier to Follow in a Loud Setting
If you have neglected hearing loss, eating dinner with your family or friends in a noisy restaurant can feel like you’re eating by yourself. It’s virtually impossible to follow the conversations. You may end up sitting there, nodding and smiling most of the night.
But hearing aids nowadays have some pretty sophisticated technology that can cancel out background noise. They bring the voices of your children and the wait staff into crystal clarity.
3. It Gets a Bit Sticky at Times
Your body has a way of letting you know when something doesn’t belong. If you eat something overly spicy hot, you produce more saliva to rinse it out. You will produce tears if something gets into your eye. Your ears have their own way of removing a nuisance.
They produce extra wax.
Due to this, earwax accumulation can occasionally be a problem for individuals who wear hearing aids. It’s only wax, fortunately, so cleaning it isn’t a problem. (We can help you learn how.)
Once you’re finished the cleaning you’re quickly back in business.
4. Your Brain Will Also Get The Benefit
This one may surprise you. If somebody starts to develop hearing loss it will gradually affect cognitive function as it progresses.
Fully understanding spoken language is one of the first things to go. Then memory, learning new things, and problem-solving become a difficulty.
Getting hearing aids as soon as possible helps slow this brain atrophy. Your brain gets re-trained. Studies show that they can decrease cognitive decline and even reverse it. As a matter of fact, 80% of people had increased brain function, according to a study carried out by the AARP, after wearing hearing aids to treat their hearing loss.
5. You Have to Replace The Batteries
Many individuals simply hate managing those little button batteries. And they seem to die at the worst times, like when you’re about to find out “whodunnit” in a mystery movie, or just as your friend is telling you the juicy particulars of a story.
But most of the perceived challenges with these batteries can be easily resolved. There are methods you can use to greatly increase battery life. The batteries are small and inexpensive, so it’s easy to carry an extra set in your wallet.
Or, today you can buy rechargeable hearing aids. Just dock it on the charger when you go to bed. Put it back on in the morning. You can even get some hearing aids with solar-powered chargers so you can charge them even if you are camping or hiking.
6. There’s a Learning Curve
Today, hearing aids have advanced technology. It isn’t as difficult as learning to operate a new computer. But adjusting to your new hearing aids will definitely take some time.
The longer and more regularly you wear hearing aids the better it gets. Throughout this adjustment period, try to be patient with yourself and your new hearing aids.
Anyone who’s been using a set of hearing aids for 6 months or more will tell you that it’s worth it.
Only actually wearing hearing aids can give you the experiencing of what they’re really like. Isn’t it time to find out for yourself?
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References
https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-07-2013/hearing-loss-linked-to-dementia.html