Hearing and communication are foundational to sustaining relationships and connections with others. A major consequence of untreated hearing loss is its impact on relationships, often straining relationships with loved ones. Fortunately, there are effective ways hearing loss is treated which offers so many life-changing benefits. Treatment transforms both hearing capacity and communication which profoundly improves all facets of daily life including relationships.
Impact of Untreated Hearing Loss
Hearing loss reduces one’s capacity to perceive and process sound. This produces a range of symptoms that can deteriorate communication. This includes tinnitus (buzzing or ringing noise in the ears), sounds being slurred or muffled, and struggling to hear in spaces with background noise. These symptoms, specifically if they remain untreated, can have major consequences including:
- Strained communication: symptoms make it challenging to engage in conversation. This often results in people saying “huh” or “what” often, frequently asking others to repeat themselves, lip reading to help distinguish words, and having difficulty following a conversation. This prevents people from being fully present and engaging in the conversation because they are struggling to keep up.
- Social withdrawal: because conversations become too tasking to engage in, this can often lead to avoiding them entirely. This means spending less time with others, skipping on social events, and also avoiding favorite activities/hobbies. Social withdrawal contributes to depressive symptoms like isolation, loneliness, and anxiety which can take a toll on mental health.
- Impact on relationships: strained communication and social withdrawal can also take a toll on relationships. Hearing loss affects quality time, type of conversations, adn capacity to do simple things together with ease. People often report feeling unheard or ignored by their loved one with hearing loss. This can create tension, distance, and frustration in relationships.
This multifaceted impact of untreated hearing loss can affect one’s ability to perform daily tasks as well as impact health and wellness. Untreated hearing loss increases the risk of developing health conditions like cognitive decline and depression. Intervening as early as possible by seeking treatment can prevent these outcomes and enhance daily life in a variety of ways.
Treatment Improves Relationships
The most common way hearing loss is treated is with hearing aids. These electronic devices are savvy pieces of technology that are designed to absorb and process speech as well as sound. This alleviates symptoms and maximizes an individual’s hearing capacity which offers countless benefits that improve relationships. This includes:
- Strengthens communication: hearing aids provide the ears and brain with ample hearing support. This support makes it easier to hear and communicate across all environments. Not having to deal with symptoms and with an increased capacity to hear, people are better able to participate in conversations. Hearing aids help people be more present and engaged, supporting conversations being more pleasurable and easy.
- Enriches social life: hearing aids are especially helpful in environments that are typically more challenging to hear in. This includes places with background noise and social settings. Hearing aids allow people to navigate interacting with clothes, social activities, parties etc. much more easily. This encourages a more active social life and supports connecting with others.
- Boosts sense of self and confidence: having symptoms alleviated and a greater ability to communicate can do wonders for one’s wellness. Treating hearing loss can restore one’s sense of self as people are able to do the things they love with greater ease and comfort. This boosts confidence, independence, and happiness which are integral to quality of life.
- Improves overall health: treatment reduces the risk of health conditions that are associated with untreated hearing loss. This includes conditions like cognitive decline, depression, accidental injuries etc. Hearing aids also strengthen cognitive functions which improve brain health. Additionally, treatment increases spatial awareness and safety.
These benefits profoundly improve relationships. Being able to communicate with ease, engage and spend time with others seamlessly, and feeling holistically happier nurtures relationships.
Prioritize Your Hearing Health Today
Prioritizing your hearing health cracks open the door to the many benefits of treatment. You can commit to this today with one simple step: contact us today to schedule an appointment for a hearing consultation. This will allow us to get to know you and your hearing needs which we are invested in meeting and transforming.
