As we age, loss of hearing is normally thought to be an inescapable fact of life. Loss of hearing is experienced by many older Americans and so is tinnitus or a ringing in the ears. But if it’s such an accepted condition, why is it that so many people won’t admit that they have loss of hearing?
A new study from Canada reports that hearing loss is experienced by over half of Canadians, but that 77% of those people don’t document any concerns. Some type of hearing loss is impacting over 48 million Americans and goes un-addressed. It’s up for debate whether this denial is on purpose or not, but the fact remains that a considerable number of people allow their loss of hearing to go unchecked – which could cause considerable problems down the road.
Why is Loss of Hearing Not Recognized by Some people?
It’s a challenging matter. It’s a gradual process when a person loses their ability to hear, and problems understanding people and hearing things go unnoticed. A lot of times they blame everybody else around them – the person they’re speaking to is mumbling, volumes aren’t turned up loud enough, or there’s too much background interference. hearing loss can be blamed, unfortunately, on a number of things, and getting a hearing test or getting checked out, usually, is not a person’s first instinct.
It also happens that some people just won’t admit that they suffer from hearing loss. Another study conducted in the United States shows that many seniors flat out refuse to admit that they have a hearing issue. They hide their issue in any way they can, either because they don’t want to acknowledge an issue or because of perceived stigmas attached to hearing loss.
The trouble with both of these situations is that by denying or not noticing you have a hearing problem you could actually be negatively impacting your general health.
There Can be Extreme Repercussions From Neglected Hearing Loss
It’s not just your ears that are impacted by hearing loss – heart disease and high blood pressure have also been associated with hearing loss and also anxiety, depression, and mental decline.
Research has demonstrated that people who have treated their hearing loss with cognitive therapy, changes of diet and hearing aids have better overall health and longer life spans.
It’s necessary to recognize the indications of hearing loss – trouble having conversations, cranking up the volume on the TV and radio, or a chronic humming or ringing in your ears.
How Can You Treat Hearing Loss?
You can get your hearing loss under control with a number of treatment options. Hearing aids are the type of treatment that is the most prevalent, and hearing aid technology has grown leaps and bounds over the last few years so it’s unlikely you’ll have the same problems your grandparents or parents did. Hearing aids can now filter out background noise and wind, while also connecting wirelessly to devices like your radio, TV, or tablet.
A dietary changes could impact the health of your hearing if you suffer from anemia. Consuming more foods that are rich in iron has been shown to help people fight tinnitus and loss of hearing since iron deficiency anemia has been shown to cause hearing loss.
The foremost thing you can do, however, is to have your hearing examined routinely.
Are you worried you might have hearing issues? Schedule an appointment to have a hearing assessment.