What Are the Common Myths About Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss is a condition that is not well understood. This lack of understanding leads to common myths that people believe even though they aren’t true. In this post, we’ll debunk five of the most common myths and break the cycle of misinformation surrounding this topic. The five myths we will discuss are:
1. You only need a hearing aid if you can’t hear at all
2. Hearing aids are only for old people
3. Hearing aids make everything sound too loud
4. Hearing loss doesn’t affect your overall health
5. I don’t need a hearing aid; I need to get my ears cleaned
Hearing Loss Myth #1 - You Only Need a Hearing Aid if You Can't Hear at All.
The myth that only people with severe or profound hearing loss need help from a hearing aid is false. Even someone with mild hearing loss can significantly benefit from the increased speech understanding you get with a hearing aid. We encourage people with mild hearing loss to wear hearing aids to improve their hearing and keep their brains young and healthy.
The truth is the longer you wait to treat hearing loss, the less likely it becomes to gain the speech understanding you might expect from using a hearing aid. So you want to act sooner rather than later.
To learn more about the degrees of hearing loss, click here.
Hearing Loss Myth #2 - Hearing Aids Are Only for Old People.
Hearing loss can happen to anyone and at any age. It is not limited to seniors. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders says that one in five Americans who are 12 or older have reported hearing loss.
There are several causes associated with hearing loss. These include age, noise exposure, genetics, and certain medical conditions. And while most hearing loss can’t be reversed, an audiologist can treat it with hearing aids.
So, don’t wait until you’re “old” to start thinking about your hearing health. If you’re noticing changes in your hearing, it’s time to talk to your doctor.
Hearing Loss Myth #3 - Hearing Aids Make Everything Sound Too Loud.
Correctly fitted hearing aids should help you hear more clearly but not be too loud to wear. A competent audiologist should adjust the hearing aid’s maximum power output so it never gets too loud or uncomfortable.
Hearing aids also come in different power levels, so what’s right for one person is not suitable for everyone. To find the right hearing aids, getting help from an audiologist is essential. They will consider your specific needs, ensuring that you get a hearing aid best suited for your level of hearing loss.
Hearing Loss Myth #4 - Hearing Loss Doesn't Affect Your Overall Health.
Hearing loss does affect your overall health. People with hearing loss often feel more anxious, tired, stressed, and even depressed. It’s difficult to talk to people when you have trouble hearing. Distancing yourself from others can cause strain on your relationships and make you feel isolated. Fatigue can result from working too hard to catch what others are saying.
Hearing loss is even connected to other medical conditions. People with diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease are more likely to have hearing loss. Changes in hearing can indicate changes in other body systems as well. Having your hearing tested annually should be part of your routine medical care.
Hearing Loss Myth #5 - I Don't Need a Hearing Aid. I Need to Get My Ears Cleaned.
We know that people want an easy solution, but we don’t see excessive earwax buildup as a common cause of hearing loss in our patients. I’m not saying that earwax can’t cause hearing loss because it can. It’s not usually the root cause of our patient’s hearing troubles.
Earwax can cause hearing loss only if wax completely clogs your ear canals. If earwax your ears aren’t completely blocked with wax, cleaning them won’t remediate hearing loss.
Some earwax is a good thing. Earwax helps protect your ears and keeps them healthy. Only when there’s too much wax buildup that problems occur.
In Conclusion
There needs to be more knowledge about hearing loss so people can make better decisions about their hearing. Hopefully, this article busted a few myths and empowered you to be proactive with your hearing health.
