Be Healthy magazine Health-related monthly magazine
Today, about 460 million people worldwide suffer from hearing loss. Normally, this problem is found in older adults. However, nowadays, more and more young people are affected. According to the statistics,1 out of 5 people in North America regardless of age, and every third person aged 65-75 suffer from hearing loss to various degrees.
The severity of hearing loss based on how loud sounds need to be for you to hear them and is categorized as slight, mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe and profound. The degree of hearing loss can be determined in a test conducted by an audiologist.
The types of hearing loss are:
- Bilateral vs. unilateral (hearing loss in both ears or only one)
- Symmetrical vs. asymmetrical (severity and type of hearing loss are the same or different for both ears).
- Progressive hearing loss vs. sudden (hearing becomes worse over time or hearing loss that happens abruptly.) Immediately contact a specialist if you have noticed a sudden hearing loss).
- Fluctuating versus stable (hearing loss that changes over time – sometimes getting better, sometimes getting worse, or stays the same).
What is the risk of hearing loss?
The annual conference of the American Psychological Association (APA) released research showing that people suffering from hearing loss who haven’t received proper medical treatment, eventually, may develop depression – mostly due to the growing social isolation. Another study recently published in the Archives of Neurology adds that hearing loss may increase the risk of developing dementia.
“Many people battle silently with their, invisible to the others, hearing difficulties, straining to stay connected to the world around them, reluctant to seek help,” said David Myers, Ph.D., a psychology professor and textbook writer at Hope College in Michigan who lives with hearing loss. “Anger, frustration, depression and anxiety are all common among people who find themselves hard of hearing.”
Fortunately, there are a simple solution – modern hearing aids. “Getting people to use the latest in hearing aid technology can help them regain control of their lives and achieve emotional stability and even better cognitive functioning,” resumes Professor Myers.
In the previous issue of our magazine, we provided a comparison between inexpensive and high-quality hearing aids. In short, high-quality devices offer:
- Rich sound range – allowing to hear both quiet and loud sounds; more sounds and more words.
- Reduction of the background noise, such as wind sound. You’ll distinctly hear sounds and words – even with a strong wind in the background.
- Automatic detection of an adjustment to the current acoustic environment to help you hear the right sounds at the right time.
Additionally, many modern hearing aids offer additional features such as improved battery life (up to 20% longer), ease of use (improved / automated activation of the device functions), a variety of colors, and more.
So, if you notice that:
– it’s become difficult for you to understand people, especially in noisy places; to talk on the phone or follow the conversation, particularly in a group;
– if you need to constantly ask your conversation partners to repeat what they’ve just said or turn up the volume on the TV
… then contact the experts, get your life back on trackand start enjoying it to the fullest again… Be healthy!