Audiology & Hearing Care of SWFL - Bonita Springs, FL

Man talking to grocery cashier and laughing because he hears her.

You’re supposed to use your hearing aids every day. But you’re also supposed to rinse out your milk jugs before recycling them. Sometimes, we don’t do the things we’re supposed to. So yeah, you forget to take your hearing aids out of the nightstand drawer occasionally. You might even forget to use it for more than one day.

That’s not great. Because there are numerous things that happen (or continue to happen) when you don’t wear your hearing aids. And the majority of them, to be honest, aren’t good.

Effects And Consequences of Not Using Your Hearing Aids

There will be consequences of varying levels of intensity and severity, both to your health and social life, if you fail to use your hearing aid. The effects and repercussions of failing to wear your hearing aids could include the following.

Your Hearing Will Keep Diminishing

Hearing aids are amazing devices. Not only do they allow you to hear sounds that you normally wouldn’t have, but they also keep your auditory complex running efficiently (that’s the region of your brain responsible for interpreting sounds).

If you “forget” to use your hearing aids and, instead, crank up your TV to an even louder volume, you may be doing additional damage to your hearing. Even if you’re not raising the volume, the lack of sensory input leads to issues with your brain. (It actually shrinks.) So you will most likely wind up needing more powerful hearing aids in the future if you fail to wear your current pair because your hearing will keep getting worse.

Social Interactions Will Become More Stressful (And Less Frequent)

You know when you go to the market and you get into a short discussion with the cashier? Those conversations are nice. A nice little touch of humanity in a technological world.

These everyday social connections suddenly become very difficult when you don’t wear your hearing aids. You repeatedly miss parts of the conversation and have to ask people to repeat themselves. Again and again. And that’s when the conversation becomes really uncomfortable. Maybe that sounds superficial, but every bit you retreat into yourself makes it that much easier for you to totally separate yourself socially. And that can cause even more substantial problems.

Hearing Aids And Mental Decline

Your brain doesn’t get close to as much exercise when you isolate yourself. Think about how invigorated (or exhausted) you can feel after a good conversation or a pleasant evening dinner with your family. Certain cognitive functions can begin to decline or decline faster without this exercise. This could mean:

  • Memory problems
  • Declines in productivity or energy
  • Depression
  • Balance troubles

But there’s more. Because there are certain parts of your brain and nervous system that need to hear sounds. Without stimulation, certain nerves will begin to weaken, and your auditory complex begins to atrophy. This can make it more difficult to adjust to your new hearing aids and in the worst case accelerate the mental decline.

Your brain remains happy, stimulated, and active when you use hearing aids.

Loss of Independence

It’s not unusual, as you age, to require a bit more help. Perhaps you hire a neighbor to mow your lawn or ask your daughter to swing by with groceries more often. You are likely to accelerate your loss of independence if you’re not wearing your hearing aids.

You can miss phone calls or fail to hear parts of conversations with your neighbor when you don’t use your hearing aids. You could miss important weather alerts. Maybe you fail to hear your dog barking when there’s somebody at the door or your cat meowing in the morning when he needs food.

What’s The Solution?

Wearing a hearing aid won’t solve all of life’s problems, regardless of how technologically innovative those little gadgets get. But they will solve a lot of the issues related to not wearing your hearing aids.

You should come see us for assistance if you’re having problems with your hearing aids or if they are not comfortable.

It’s worth taking some time to think about what the consequences will be if you avoid wearing your hearing aids and also what the benefits of wearing them may be.

Call Today to Set Up an Appointment



References

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/otolaryngology/specialty_areas/hearing/faq.html
https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20140128/hearing-loss-tied-to-faster-brain-shrinkage-with-age
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.