Living with untreated hearing loss has a lot of negative consequences, both for your health and overall wellbeing.
Hearing loss makes it difficult to follow conversations and communicate effectively with loved ones. Hearing loss has been closely linked to social isolation, and those with hearing loss are more likely to suffer from anxiety, stress, and depression. Hearing loss is also tied to reduced memory function, and those living with untreated hearing loss have difficulty with memory formation and memory recall.
Untreated hearing loss impacts your health and safety in profound ways as it disrupts your balance, makes locating sounds in your environment difficult, and increases your risk of falls. Hearing loss can also affect your earning potential where you may be looked over for promotions; or even risk making a mistake that could cost you your job such as missing directions or risking your safety and the safety of your team.
Preventing Hearing Loss
Learning about hearing loss and the ways you can protect your hearing will safeguard your health for years to come. The two most common causes of hearing loss are
- The natural aging process, and
- Exposure to dangerously loud noises.
Wearing hearing protection during loud work and leisure activities will help reduce your risk of hearing loss. Examples of these loud activities may be construction sites, garage workshops, nightclubs, music venues, and sporting events. If you have to shout to be heard by the person standing next to you, it’s too loud and you should both be wearing hearing protection. This can be ear plugs, earmuffs, or custom hearing protection to protect your ears and save your hearing.
Protect your hearing at home by turning down the volume on your TV and using safe listening practices. Don’t turn up the volume on your personal listening devices higher than 60%, and take breaks to give your ears a rest. Invest in noise cancelling headphones so you can listen comfortably without turning up the volume to block out background noise. If you’ve noticed any hearing loss, treat your hearing loss as soon as possible to help you hear, and reduce your risk of further hearing loss!
Visit us at Whisper Hearing Centers to find out more about the causes and consequences of hearing loss, and schedule a hearing test to make sure you’re hearing clearly.
