Hearing loss – it’s usually thought to be a fact of life as we get older. Many older Americans suffer from some kind of hearing loss or tinnitus, which is a continuous ringing in the ears. But if it’s such an accepted condition, why is it that so many people deny that they deal with hearing loss?
A new study from Canada reports that hearing loss is experienced by over half of Canadians, but no problems were reported at all by over 77% percent of those. In the US, more than 48 million individuals have some type of hearing loss, but many do not try to do anything about it. It’s up for debate whether this denial is deliberate or not, but in either case, hearing loss is neglected by a significant number of people – which could result in considerable issues later on in life.
Why do Some Individuals Not Recognize They Suffer From Loss of Hearing?
It’s a challenging question. It’s a slow process when someone loses their hearing, and some people might not recognize that they are having a harder time hearing things or comprehending people than they used to. Many times they blame everyone else around them – they think everyone is mumbling, the TV volume is too low, or background noise is too high. hearing loss can be blamed, unfortunately, on quite a few things, and people’s first instinct is not usually going to be to get checked out or get a hearing test.
It also happens that some individuals just won’t acknowledge that they have hearing loss. Another study conducted in the United States shows that many seniors simply deny that they have a hearing issue. They hide their problem in any way they can, either they recognize a stigma surrounding hearing loss or because they don’t like to admit to having a problem.
The trouble with both of these scenarios is that by denying or not noticing you have a problem hearing you could actually be negatively impacting your overall health.
Untreated Hearing Loss Can Have a Devastating Affect
It’s not only your ears that are affected by loss of hearing – it has been connected to various conditions such as anxiety, cognitive decline, and depression, and it can also be a sign of heart disease and high blood pressure.
Research has revealed that individuals who have addressed their loss of hearing using cognitive therapy, changes of diet and hearing aids have better all-around health and longer life spans.
It’s important to recognize the indications of hearing loss – continual humming or ringing in the ears, problems carrying on 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 type of treatment that is the most prevalent, and hearing aid tech has grown leaps and bounds over the last several years so it’s unlikely you’ll encounter the same problems your grandparents or parents did. Hearing aids now have the ability to filter out background noise and wind, while also connecting wirelessly to devices like your radio, TV, or tablet.
A changes in your diet could affect the health of your hearing if you have anemia. Consuming more foods that are rich in iron has been shown to help people fight tinnitus and loss of hearing since iron deficiency anemia has been revealed to lead to loss of hearing.
Having your hearing examined on a regular basis, however, is the most important thing you can do.
Do you suspect that might have loss of hearing? Schedule an appointment to have a hearing examination.