As we age, loss of hearing is generally thought to be an inescapable fact of life. Loss of hearing is experienced by many older Americans as is tinnitus or a ringing in the ears. But for such an accepted problem lots of people still won’t admit they deal with loss of hearing.
A new study from Canada posits that more than 50 percent of all middle aged or older Canadians suffer from some type of hearing loss, but that 77% of those people do not document any issues. In the US, over 48 million people have some type of hearing loss, but many do not attempt to deal with it. It’s debatable whether this denial is on purpose or not, but it’s still true that a considerable number of people let their hearing loss go unchecked – which, in the future, could cause substantial issues.
Why is Hearing Loss Missed by Some people?
That matter is a complex one. Hearing loss is a slow process, and problems understanding people and hearing things go undetected. Or, more frequently, they may blame it on something else – they think everyone is mumbling, volumes aren’t turned up loud enough, or background noise is too high. There are, unfortunately, numerous things that hearing loss can be blamed on, and having a hearing examination or getting checked out, usually, is not a person’s first reaction.
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 many seniors flat out deny that they have a hearing problem. They hide their problem however they can, either they recognize a stigma around hearing loss or because they don’t like to admit to having an issue.
The problem with both of these scenarios is that by denying or not noticing you have a hearing problem you could actually be negatively impacting your overall health.
There Can be Extreme Consequences From Neglected Hearing Loss
Loss of hearing does not just impact your ears – high blood pressure and heart disease have also been linked to hearing loss along with anxiety, depression, and mental decline.
Research has demonstrated that people who have hearing loss normally have shorter life expectancy rates and their level of health is not as strong as people who have addressed their hearing loss with hearing aids, dietary changes, or cognitive behavioral therapy.
It’s necessary to identify the signs of hearing loss – problems carrying on conversations, turning up the volume on the TV and radio, or a lingering humming or ringing in your ears.
What Can be Done About Hearing Loss?
There are several treatment options you can undertake to get your loss of hearing under control. Hearing aids are the type of treatment that is the most prevalent, and you won’t experience the same types of issues that your parents or grandparents did because hearing aid technology has advanced considerably. Modern hearing aids have Bluetooth connectivity so they can connect wirelessly to your phone or TV and they have the ability to filter out wind and background noise.
A changes in the way you eat could also have a beneficial effect on your hearing health if you have anemia. Consuming more foods that are high in iron has been shown to help people fight tinnitus and hearing loss since iron deficiency anemia has been demonstrated to result in loss of hearing.
The most essential thing you can do, though, is to get your hearing tested regularly.
Do you think that might have loss of hearing? Visit us and get checked.