Can Not Wearing Hearing Aids Make Hearing Worse

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We’re so glad you asked! If you’re new to the world of hearing aids, you may want to , curated by our managing editor. You’ll get our latest articles on hearing loss, tinnitus, and hearing aidshelping you make the most of your new hearing aids and learning more about how hearing loss and tinnitus affect your health and quality of life. And please contact us if you’ve got a new hearing aid concern we’re not addressing here. Happy hearing!

How Many Hours A Day Should You Wear Hearing Aids

Ill confess once I began working at home years ago, Ive rarely worn my aids from the minute I got out of bed until the minute I fell asleep. So I asked Dr. Palmer: Is there a minimum number of hours of usage that would keep our brains primed?

Although there isnt data to answer that question, she told me, audiologists see that people who wear their aids all through their waking hours do better. The brain isnt good at trying to listen in two waysthrough the hearing loss and through the amplification system. The ear is a doorway to the brain, it doesnt make sense to have it partially closed part of the day, she explained.

My own observation is that part-time use has a big cost. I have a friend with profound hearing loss, much worse than mine. When neither of us wears our hearing aids, the difference is dramatic. But weve both noticed with surprise that when we are in a noisy restaurant wearing our hearing aids, he can hear better than I can. I thought the aids were the problem. However, now I have a different theoryhed been wearing his aids whenever he was awake and was getting the full benefit of them. His brain was adapted to a fuller range of sound.

The ear is a doorway to the brain, it doesnt make sense to have it partially closed part of the day.”

Hearing Aids For People Who Are Deaf In One Ear

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Hearing Aids And Cognitive Function

The brain controls every aspect of the body. If your ears are not sending the proper signals to the brain, it is unable to work at its best. You may even start to forget sounds because it has been so long since you heard them that the brain can no longer store the memory. Interpreting sound and understanding speech take a lot of the brains energy.

If hearing loss and cognitive function are so closely linked, and if wearing a hearing aid is also a way to reduce the risk of developing dementia, it becomes particularly important to ensure you have your hearing tested regularly and start wearing the appropriate hearing aid if necessary. This does not necessarily have to involve great time and expense. Both testing and hearing aids have become steadily more accessible, with the HearIQ Hearing Screening available online without having to visit an audiologist.

For people who want to reduce their risk of dementia, there are a range of small steps that are recommended as they reach middle age. Now it seems that taking swift and appropriate action to deal with hearing loss may very well be one of them. Choosing the right hearing aid may not just improve your auditory perception it might also protect your brain from dementia.

Hearing Loss Isnt Just An Old Person Problem Experts Share Common Misconceptions And How Seeking Professional Help Can Change Your Life For The Better

Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards

Spin the wheel now

Do you or someone you love tend to turn up the volume on the TV or constantly ask friends and family members to repeat themselves because their speech sounds muffled? Or perhaps youre plagued by a constant prolonged ringing sound in your ears? These are some common signs of potential hearing loss, a condition which affects one out of eight Singaporeans, says Mr Lawrence Yi, senior audiologist at Digisound Hearing Care Centre.

Ms Mehnaz Huq, clinical audiologist at Digisound Hearing, adds: Hearing loss can lead to embarrassment, isolation, loneliness, depression, anxiety, frustration, as well as communication disorders, leading to a poorer quality of life. In children, delayed treatment can also affect language and speech development.

The most common way of treating impaired hearing is through the use of hearing aids. They help relieve the strain of common hearing issues by making ambient sounds clearer and easier to hear. This has a huge impact on ones life, from boosting self-confidence and keeping anxiety at bay, to helping one resume an active and social lifestyle.

However, there are plenty of misconceptions or outmoded views about hearing aids that can hinder people from getting the help they need. With the advice of hearing care professionals, we clarify three hearing aid myths and offer vital information on how to get the best treatment.

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Can Not Wearing Hearing Aids Make Your Hearing Worse

If you have a hearing impairment that can be improved by wearing hearing aids, failing to use these devices might actually make your condition worse. Whats more, untreated hearing loss can negatively affect your overall health, trigger depression and lead to social isolation. While there are many reasons you might not want to wear hearing aids, heres why you should reconsider.

So What Do Hearing Aids Do For My Brain

Wearing hearing aids amplifies sounds you would struggle to hear otherwise, stimulating the auditory nerve cells and exercising them. By using your hearing aids consistently, your ability to comprehend sound stays optimal under your current hearing loss condition.

Want to see if MDHearingAid hearing aids will work for you? Take our quick and easy online hearing test and get your results instantly.

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Can Hearing Aids Improve Word Recognition Through Central Reorganization

Some have suggested that hearing aids can improve word recognization through central reorganization. There is some research evidence that if you don’t use it, you might lose it. Our impression is that these effects, while real, are trivial. While children have considerable plastic change to their brains, we don’t think that adults will lose many brain cells, if they decide not to buy a hearing aid after all.

Song et al , recently studied this issue and suggested that there is no improvement. Similarly, Maniakas et al showed there was no difference in hearing between individuals who were treated for otosclerosis early on or 10 years later. Hong et al found no causal association between cognitive function, visual impairment and hearing loss. These data suggest that the idea that your hearing or intellect will deteriorate unless you buy a hearing aid is marketing hype. A corallary is that someone who suggests that your hearing will get get worse because you did not purchase a hearing aid is either misinformed or worse.

What If I Already Have Hearing Loss

Protect your hearing from getting worse and learn ways to help you hear better and adapt to your hearing loss.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ensures that children who have hearing loss receive special education during ages 3 to 21 years. For more information, visit CDCs Hearing Loss in Children webpage.

Take Steps to Keep It from Getting Worse

There is no medical or surgical treatment for hearing loss caused by noise. Damaged hair cells do not grow back. As much as possible, you should try to protect your hearing. If you do have hearing loss, you should take steps to keep it from getting worse.

• Avoid noisy places whenever possible.
• Use earplugs, protective ear muffs, or noise-canceling headphones when around loud noises.
• Keep the volume down when listening through earbuds or headphones.
• Ask your doctor for a hearing checkup if you suspect you have hearing loss.

If you develop a sudden hearing loss, contact your doctor immediately. Some treatments may help minimize the damage and reduce the severity of the hearing loss.

Many people with hearing loss can still hear some sounds. If you already have a hearing loss, there are ways to help you make the most out of the hearing you have. Read about the methods and devices below that can help.

Things You Can Do to Help Compensate for Your Hearing Loss

Consider Using a Device to Help You Hear

If you already have a hearing loss, hearing devices can help you make the most out of the hearing you have.

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Will My Hearing Get Worse If I Dont Get Hearing Aids Will Getting Hearing Aids Stop My Hearing From Getting Worse

This is a complicated question the short answer for both questions is yes and no . The first thing to keep in mind is that we hear with our brain, not our ears. When you have hearing loss it means that your hearing pathways are not being used as much as they could be your brain is not receiving as much stimulation as someone with normal hearing. The longer your hearing system goes without being stimulated, the more risk there is of nerves/nerve pathways wearing out this is referred to as auditory deprivation.

The saying Use It or Lose It is very accurate to our hearing system. Our bodies are very efficient and if you are not using something, your body will not waste valuable resources on it to keep it working. For example, if you were to use a wheelchair for 10 years instead of walking it would be quite difficult, if not impossible, to stand up or walk. This is because your body figured out that all of your muscles, ligaments, nerves, etc. that you use to stand and walk are not being used and it told itself, We should use energy on the things we are actually using instead of wasting energy on parts of our body that you are not.

As far as we know at this point in audiology, the damage within your inner ear will happen regardless of whether you get hearing aids or not. The nerve endings in the inner ear have their own timeline, and that timeline will remain the same with hearing aids or not.

The Dos And Donts Of Hearing Aids

When you wear hearing aids, it is important to have a daily routine to keep them working properly. At the same time, there are certain things to avoid with respect to hearing aid use and care, especially things that can potentially damage them to the point of having to be replaced. The following is a list of dos and donts to keep your hearing aids performing optimally:

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Get The Help You Need

Chances are youve been living with hearing loss. Nearly 27 million Americans age 50 and older have hearing loss, but only one in seven uses a hearing aid. On average, people with hearing aids waited a decade before getting help.

What you may not realize is that even a slight loss carries serious risks: Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has found that mild hearing loss doubles dementia risk over 12 years. It also raises your risk of falls. Our ears pick up cues as we walk that help us balance. If you have hearing loss, your brain needs to work harder to hear conversation and other ambient sounds and this could interfere with your balance as well. That’s why hearing aids are so important for quality of life.

Hearing Aids Should Not Be Causing Ones Tinnitus To Worsen And If They Do A Visit To The Audiologist Is Necessary Says Rivka Strom Aud Ccc

The audiologist should check that the hearing aid is not set inappropriately loud, continues Strom.

Hearing Aid Adjustments

It is important that the audiologist perform a test called real ear measures to ensure appropriate settings of the hearing aid and to make sure the hearing aid never gets too loud to the point where it can exacerbate the tinnitus, explains Strom.

Further, there is a condition known as hyperacusis which is highly comorbid with tinnitus.

Hyperacusis refers to sensitivity to loud sounds. Severe hyperacusis occurs when an individual has difficulty tolerating everyday sounds which do not seem loud to others.

Hyperacusis is not a disorder thats caused by anxiety or the so-called all in a persons head. Its a real condition, and its not just a mere dislike of certain sounds.

Many people with hyperacusis do indeed suffer from tinnitus.

So while plugging ones ears at the sound of piercing screams from playing children or an ambulance siren do not reflect hyperacusis, plugging ones ears to the sound of leaves rustling, the sound of two people on TV kissing, or the sound of a fan would be very suggestive of hyperacusis, or at least, selective hyperacusis.

Sometimes, the noise of everyday sounds can literally cause ear pain in someone with severe hyperacusis.

Dr. Stromis a member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and has received several awards including Brooklyn Colleges Excellence In Audiology Award.

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A Good Fitting Makes All The Difference

Other people express concerns that hearing aids are dangerous for your eardrums. However, this isnt the case if the devices are fit and programmed correctly.

Hearing aids work by amplifying and processing sounds so you can hear them more easily. Its true that powerful sounds played directly next to your eardrum can damage your ears and your hearing . However, if you have hearing loss, the volume of well-fit hearing aids wont be loud enough to do harm.

When an experienced hearing healthcare professional fits you for a hearing aid, theyll program the device to fit your personal level of hearing loss. This means the level of amplification and sound processing will be just enough to allow you to hear as naturally as possible.

If, after your rehabilitation period, your hearing aids seem like theyre too loud, you should go back to your hearing professional to have them adjusted. If the devices are programmed to amplify frequencies you can already hear well, this could pose a danger in the long run.

Its also important to note that personal sound amplifiers , like those found in drug stores or advertised in magazines, are not meant to be used to help with hearing loss. They are meant to help people without hearing loss hear very quiet noises better and are not substitutes for hearing aids. These types of devices may, in fact, pose a danger to your hearing by being too loud for your needs.

Wind Noise Can Be Very Annoying

Hearing the wind blow across the microphones of your hearing aids can be very problematic. So it is your choice to wear the hearing aids or just pull them off.

Things like driving in the car with the window open can be intolerable so you can be the judge whether to wear your hearing aids in the wind or not. If you are in the wind often, shield your hearing aids from the wind using Eargear that was mentioned above.

Related Article: Hearing Aids and Limitations on Activity. Find Out what types of activities you should not wear hearing aids doing.

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I Love Music But It Doesn’t Sound Right Why

Hearing aids are programmed to process sound in quiet environments, especially human speech. If you’re a music lover, ask your hearing care provider for a custom music setting and you’ll find music much more pleasant. You can also set up other custom hearing aid settings, such as for driving or working.

Hearing Aids And Tinnitus Not For Me But Maybe For You

This is a follow up from my previous article on Hearing aids and Tinnitus you can read that here if youd like. Also, as with anything medical, talk with an audiologist, ENT, or other hearing professional before deciding to use hearing aids. They might or might not work for you depending on your specific situation.

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The Danger Of Makeshift Solutions

Some people might think its enough to compensate for their hearing loss by cranking up the volume on the TV or purchasing a generic hearing amplifier. The problem with this first tactic is that exposure to excessively loud sounds can further degrade your hearing. In the case of hearing amplifiers, they might do more harm than good since these devices cant be calibrated like hearing aids to suit your unique needs.