What are the consequences of hearing loss on my day-to-day lifestyle?

“Excuse me? Can you repeat that, please?”

The first few times you ask someone to repeat themselves when talking to you, you won’t think much of it. Hearing impairment comes with age. At least that’s what most people think. And there isn’t anything you can do about it, another widely believed myth about hearing. You’ll just need to watch your favourite shows at a louder volume and avoid noisy restaurants at peak hours.

This is where you, like many other Australians, are wrong. Hearing loss is not just a natural consequence of aging, and it affects more than just how often you reach for the volume button on your remote control. Left unchecked, hearing problems can have serious implications on your cognitive function, memory and even your mental health.

The harsh reality is that hearing loss usually worsens over time, but as is with human nature, people who experience it tend to put off visiting a doctor until the last minute as the condition does not cause pain or physical discomfort. By this stage, the loss is often very difficult or expensive to treat – if it can be fixed at all. Statistics show that one in six Australians will experience some form of hearing loss in their lifetime, and its estimated that it affects men more than women – although this could be due to societal factors that discourage men from being seen as ‘weak’ and seeking treatment.

One of the most marked effects of hearing loss is the profound impact it has on one’s cognition. The brain has to put in significantly more effort to process and understand different sounds coming from different locations, as well as to fill in ‘missing’ words that are unintelligible to the ear. As a result, your ability to process information quickly, your working memory and selective attention ability will suffer.

If you ever find yourself turning down invites to gatherings you know will take place at crowded spaces with loud music, you will already be acquainted with another downside to hearing loss – social isolation. As many people don’t share their hearing problems with others, they find themselves withdrawing and spending more and more time alone. A paper released by disability services and support organisation VicDeaf on the economic impact and cost of hearing loss in Australia shows that this behaviour increases your risk of depression, anxiety and paranoia.

Hearing loss can turn even the safest desk-bound job into a hazardous affair. The truth is that we don’t really even realise the extent that our hearing plays in personal safety. Studies show that even low-frequency sound exposure can impact your ability to hear, causing temporary or permanent vertigo, which in turn causes the sufferer to feel dizzy and lightheaded and therefore more prone to tripping and falling.

The good news is that all these symptoms are easily treated with a suitable hearing solution, such as a hearing aid. Research shows that hearing interventions such as hearing aids can make a big difference – yet less than 20 percent of Australians use them! Some of the best hearing aids on the market are specifically designed to deal with the most common complaints most people experience. All that you need to do it to book an appointment with your GP or an Audiologist at Ivory Hearing and request a comprehensive hearing test. Once you have your results, you can discuss what your next best options should be.

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