Many people might only associate a healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise. While these are two of the largest pillars of health, recent studies suggest that a sense of community is vital to living a long and healthy life.
The Blue Zones is an organisation that focusses on communities across the world that live the longest. They suggest that having a strong community is one of the biggest influencers for longevity1.
How does this relate to hearing loss, you might ask? Hearing is an important factor in our ability to participate in social settings. We use our hearing to understand and interpret the world around us. When our hearing begins to deteriorate, we slowly become disconnected from our surroundings.
5 ways that hearing aids may improve your wellbeing:
- Better communication
Hearing aids can help you to process sounds around you. They aim to help you hear as naturally as possible. Most modern hearing aids have features to reduce interference of background noise, and some aim to actively help you decipher which sounds are the most important.
- Improved social engagement
A recent study found that about half of those with hearing aids feel that their ability to participate in conversations and group activities has improved2.
As you adapt to hearing aid use and you begin to be able to hear more conversations again, you become more confident in social situations again. This builds your confidence in social settings, which can have positive effects on your sense of community and overall wellbeing.
- Improved quality of life
Over half of those who started wearing hearing aids in the last 5 years report an overall better quality of life since they started wearing hearing aids2.
Whether it be a conversation, a movie, the radio, or a sports match – hearing aids could give you access to exploring areas of your life you may have missed when you were experiencing symptoms of untreated hearing loss.
Hearing aids could give you the ability to hear more and enjoy your favourite activities again.
- Improved performance at work
Over half of hearing aid users report an improvement in their work performance after they started wearing hearing aids2.
Prior to getting hearing aids, those with hearing loss may experience that they have a hard time keeping up with the conversations during a work meeting, or they may just simply not be able to hear casual conversations near their desk.
Over time, the person’s it is possible that work performance may begin to decline for some people if they are not able to keep up with work meetings and conversations.
- Increased levels of confidence
4 in 10 hearing aid wearers report an improvement in self-confidence since they started wearing hearing aids2.
Because hearing aids could give you back the ability to better hear the world around you, you may begin to show more confidence and openness in your everyday life.
As you become more engaged, you may start to feel more confident about not only what you’re hearing but life in general. Hearing is integral to your overall wellbeing, and it is far more than just being able to hear what is going on around you.
Hearing is what connects us to our communities and helps us interpret and engage with our friends and family. By managing your hearing loss, you are taking a big step towards protecting your overall health and wellbeing.
If you’re interested in learning more about how hearing aids could improve your quality of life, book your FREE* hearing check today.
1 https://www.bluezones.com/live-longer-better/original-blue-zones/#section-1
2 Hearing Industries Association, MarkeTrak 10, Base Report, March 27 2019.
