Hearing loss – it’s usually thought os as a fact of life as we get older. Lots of older Americans have some type of hearing loss or tinnitus, which is a chronic ringing in the ears. But if it’s such an accepted condition, why is it that so many people deny that they have loss of hearing?
A new study from Canada says that hearing loss is experienced by more than 50 percent of Canadians, but that 77% of those individuals don’t report any problems. In the United States, more than 48 million people have some form of hearing loss, but many do not attempt to do anything about it. It’s debatable whether this denial is on purpose or not, but the fact remains that a significant number of people let their hearing loss go unchecked – which could bring about substantial issues down the road.
Why is Loss of Hearing Not Recognized by Some people?
That matter is a complicated one. It’s a slow process when a person loses their ability to hear, and difficulty comprehending people and hearing things go unnoticed. A lot of times they blame everyone else around them – the person they’re speaking to is mumbling, the TV volume is too low, or background noise is too high. There are, unfortunately, quite a few things that hearing loss can be blamed on, and getting a hearing examination or getting checked out, normally, is not a person’s first reaction.
It also happens that some people just won’t admit that they have hearing loss. Another study conducted in the United States shows that lots of seniors flat out deny that they have a hearing problem. They do what they can to cover up their problem, either they recognize a stigma surrounding hearing loss or because they don’t like to admit to having an issue.
The concern with both of these scenarios is that by denying or not noticing you have a hearing problem you could actually be negatively affecting your overall health.
Neglected Hearing Loss Can Have a Catastrophic Affect
It’s not just your ears that are impacted by hearing loss – it has been linked to various ailments like depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline, and it can also be a symptom of high blood pressure and heart disease.
Research has shown that individuals who have addressed their hearing loss with cognitive therapy, changes of diet and hearing aids have better all-around health and longer life expectancy.
It’s important to identify the signs of hearing loss – persistent ringing or humming in the ears, difficulty having conversations, needing to crank up the volume of your radio or TV.
What Can be Done to Manage Hearing Loss?
There are several treatment options you can undertake to get your hearing loss under control. Hearing aids are the most common form of treatment, and hearing aid tech has developed by leaps and bounds over the last few years so it’s unlikely you’ll have the same problems your parents or grandparents did. Contemporary hearing aids have Bluetooth functionality so they can connect wirelessly to your smartphone or TV and they have the ability to filter out wind and background noise.
A changes in your diet could impact your hearing health if you suffer from anemia. Since anemia iron deficiency has been revealed to cause hearing loss, people who have tinnitus can be helped by eating foods that are rich in iron.
The most essential thing you can do, however, is to have your hearing assessed regularly.
Are you worried you might have hearing problems? Come in and get screened.