Hearing aids are supposed to be worn daily. But you’re also supposed to rinse out your milk jugs before recycling them. We don’t always do what we’re supposed to. It’s the same for hearing aids. Occasionally we forget to take them with us. You may even forget to wear it for more than one day.

That isn’t a very smart idea. Because there are numerous things that happen (or continue to happen) when you don’t wear your hearing aids. And the majority of them, honestly, aren’t very good.

Consequences of Failing to Wear Your Hearing Aids

Much of what occurs when you don’t wear your hearing aids will affect both your hearing health and your social life, each with varying levels of severity and intensity. Here are some of those effects and consequences.

Your Hearing Will Keep Diminishing

Hearing aids are remarkable devices. They enhance your ability to hear and help keep your auditory complex (the region of the brain that interprets sound) functioning efficiently.

You could damage your hearing even more if, instead of using your hearing aids, you begin cranking up the volume on your devices even higher than they already are. Even if you aren’t increasing the volume, the missing sensory input results in issues with your brain. (It actually shrinks.) So if you don’t use your hearing aids, your hearing will likely continue to get worse (which means you’ll need even more powerful hearing aids in the near future).

Social Interactions Will Become More Difficult (And Less Consistent)

You know when you go to the store and you get into a short discussion with the cashier? Those conversations are pleasant. A nice little touch of humanity in a technological world.

When you don’t wear your hearing aids, these simple social interactions can suddenly be a lot more challenging. You have to ask the cashier to repeat himself. Again and again. And once that happens, the conversation just quickly becomes strained. Perhaps that sounds trivial, but every bit you retreat into yourself makes it that much easier for you to completely seclude yourself socially. And the result can be even more serious.

Hearing Aids And Mental Decline

Your brain doesn’t get nearly as much exercise when you isolate yourself. After you have a nice conversation with your family, think about how invigorated (or exhausted) you can feel. Without that exercise, certain cognitive processes can begin to decline (or decline faster). This could mean:

• Balance issues
• Declines in productivity or energy
• Depression
• Memory problems

But that’s not all. Because hearing sound is vitally essential to certain regions of your nervous system and brain. Without stimulation, certain nerves will begin to weaken, and your auditory complex starts to atrophy. This can make it more difficult to adapt to your new hearing aids and in the worst case speed up mental decline.

Your brain remains happy, stimulated, and active when you use hearing aids.

Loss of Independence

Needing a bit more help, as you age, is not abnormal. Maybe you hire a neighbor to mow your lawn or ask your son to swing by with supplies more often. If you aren’t wearing your hearing aid, you could be speeding up the loss of independence that often accompanies aging.

When you don’t wear your hearing aids, it can rapidly become harder to answer the phone or have a conversation with your neighbor. You could miss important weather alerts. Maybe you don’t hear your cat meowing at night for food or your dog barking at somebody ringing your doorbell.

Is There Any Solution?

No matter how technologically advanced hearing aids become, they won’t resolve all of life’s problems. But many of the issues linked to failing to wear your hearing aid can be resolved.

You should come see us for help if you’re having issues with your hearing aids or if they are not comfortable.

But if you’re looking for reasons to refrain from using your hearing aids, if you’re just leaving them in the nightstand drawer, it’s worth taking some time to think about what could be gained by using them… and what could happen if you don’t wear your hearing aids.

Call Today to Set Up an Appointment

References

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/otolaryngology/specialty_areas/hearing/faq.html
https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20140128/hearing-loss-tied-to-faster-brain-shrinkage-with-age
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation