As we age, loss of hearing is commonly considered an inescapable fact of life. Hearing loss is experienced by many older Americans and so is tinnitus or a ringing in the ears. But if it’s such an accepted condition, why is it that so many people won’t admit that they have hearing loss?
A new study from Canada says that hearing loss is experienced by over 50 percent of Canadians, but no issues were reported at all by over 77% percent of those. Some type of hearing loss is experienced by over 48 million Americans and goes un-addressed. It’s debatable whether this denial is deliberate or not, but in either case, hearing loss is ignored by a significant number of people – which could lead to significant problems down the road.
Why do Some Individuals Not Recognize They Have Loss of Hearing?
It’s a complex matter. It’s a gradual process when somebody loses their hearing, and some people may not even recognize that they are having a harder time hearing things or comprehending people than they once did. A lot of times they blame everybody else around them – the person they’re speaking to is muttering, the TV volume is too low, or there’s too much background noise. There are, unfortunately, numerous things that hearing loss can be blamed on, and people’s first reaction is not normally going to be to get checked out or have a hearing test.
It also happens that some people just won’t accept that they suffer from hearing loss. Another study conducted in the United States shows that lots of seniors who have hearing problems flat out deny it. They mask their issue in any way they can, either they perceive a stigma around hearing loss or because they don’t want to admit to having a problem.
The problem is, you may be negatively impacting your overall health by ignoring your hearing loss.
Untreated Hearing Loss Can Have a Debilitating Impact
Loss of hearing does not exclusively affect your ears – high blood pressure and heart disease have also been connected to hearing loss along with anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline.
Research has demonstrated that individuals who have addressed their loss of hearing using cognitive therapy, diet changes and hearing aids have better all-around health and longer life expectancy.
It’s important to acknowledge the indications of hearing loss – persistent humming or ringing in the ears, problems having conversations, having to crank up the volume of your TV or radio.
What Can You Do to Address Hearing Loss?
There are several treatment methods you can do to get your loss of hearing under control. 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 issues your grandparents or parents did. Hearing aids can now filter out background noise and wind, while also wirelessly connecting to devices like your TV, tablet, or radio.
A changing the way you eat could impact your hearing health if you have anemia. Eating more foods that are high in iron has been discovered to help people fight tinnitus and hearing loss since iron deficiency anemia has been shown to lead to hearing loss.
Having your hearing examined routinely, however, is the most important thing you can do.
Do you think that you’re suffering from hearing loss? Visit us and get tested.
