How Hearing Aids Improve Your Relationships

Sep 04, 2016

How Hearing Aids Improve Your Relationships

Living with untreated hearing loss can be frustrating and isolating, but it can also have a big impact on the people around you. In fact, a 2007 US study revealed that 48% of people surveyed believed their marriage had suffered because of their partner’s untreated hearing loss.

Loved ones often notice a person’s hearing loss first. Perhaps they’ve had to live with the TV volume turned up too high, or are accused of mumbling and constantly asked to repeat themselves. Living with untreated hearing loss can be exhausting for everyone. Families are often the first to bear the mutual frustrations of a person’s hearing loss, and loved ones may find themselves on the receiving end of a short temper. It may also cause the person with hearing loss to feel isolated and withdraw from social and family situations. As a result, relationships can suffer.

Thankfully, treating hearing loss is relatively simple. Hearing aids can greatly improve a person’s quality of life and play an important role in re-connecting people with their loved ones. By expanding the range of sound that one can hear, they relieve many of the pressures and challenges faced by people with hearing loss.

Lower stress levels

Straining to hear can leave you feeling exhausted by the end of the day. Hearing aids take the effort out of listening, so you can relax and enjoy your interactions. Lower stress levels mean your interactions with people will be less tense, and you can focus on strengthening your relationships rather than trying to hear. You will also have more brain space free for concentration and memory, so your work performance and relationships with co-workers should improve.

An enhanced range of hearing

When our hearing starts to change, we often lose high-pitched sounds first. This means it can be difficult to hear the voices of women and children, leaving many people unable to communicate clearly with their loved ones. Hearing aids give you access to this higher sound range, which can help re-connect you with your family members.

Better conversations

When you hear better, you communicate better – and communication is the key to any healthy relationship. Whether it’s a dinner date with your partner, chatting on the phone with a friend or helping the kids with homework, hearing aids will make all the difference. You can focus on the conversations at hand without worry.

Confidence and independence

Untreated hearing loss may stop you from taking part in activities and conversations. It can sometimes feel like you’re losing your independence. Wearing hearing aids will give you your confidence back and allow you to continue enjoying an active lifestyle. You won’t need to worry about your ability to follow a conversation or participate in social and sporting activities. This in turn will help to keep you in touch with the people around you.

Social life

Humans are social beings, and we need to feel connected to the world around us. Yet complicated sound situations, such as group conversations and noisy environments, can be confusing and stressful for people with hearing loss. In some cases, people choose to withdraw from difficult situations and become less socially active. Thankfully, this is one of the key areas that hearing aid manufacturers focus on solving. Precision engineering, directional microphones and state-of-the-art technology have made it a lot simpler to hear in complex environments. Hearing aids can reduce background noise and allow you to shift focus between different speakers. This takes the stress out of social situations, and allows you to enjoy time with your friends, family and colleagues.

Come and talk to us

If you feel like your relationships have been suffering because of your hearing, it may be time to invest in a hearing aid. If you would like to arrange a hearing test or discuss your options, House of Hearing are happy to help. Contact us online or by calling 0131 220 1220.