As you’ve been getting older, you’ve most likely been on the lookout for ways to conserve your youthfulness.
Diet, exercise, and vitamins have all been part of your regimen. You’ve spent more money than you’d like to admit on retinol creams and hair growth programs. You’ve even tried yoga. You can stay happy and youthful at any age.
But the good news is, there’s an affordable way to keep that youthful happy feeling which has scientific backing. Yet, less than 16% of individuals who would benefit are taking advantage of it.
The “trick” is easy – they’re wearing their hearing aids to manage their hearing loss.
This trick might be the key to feeling happy and youthful as we age.
How Commonplace is Hearing Loss?
By the time you get to the age of 45, your risk of developing hearing loss increases dramatically. Even children as young as 12 are affected.
According to a scientific study, 11% of people between the ages of 45 and 54 were experiencing some amount of hearing loss. By age 80 that percentage goes up to 90%. Of those between the ages of 65 and 74, almost 25 percent experience debilitating hearing loss and that number goes up to 50% by age 80.
Also, men under 70 are two times as likely to have hearing loss than women in the same age group.
While you probably correlate hearing loss with aging, most hearing loss develops because of exposure to loud and harmful sounds. Some people are exposed to more damaging sounds than others over the course of their lives.
It’s not inevitable that somebody will get hearing loss but countless studies have shown that your general happiness, youthfulness, and health are affected by failing to treat any hearing loss you’re already experiencing.
But hearing aids are worn by just 1 out of 7 people who actually need them.
Your Hearing Aid is The Secret to Happiness And Youthfulness
The following results have been directly connected to wearing hearing aids:
- participating in social interaction 20% more frequently
One of the things that make life wonderful, you’ll concur, is being with other people. You feel happier and younger when you spend precious time with people you love doing the activities you enjoy.
People with hearing loss who wear their hearing aids are more likely to stay active and social.
- Having a 30% less-likelihood of depression
Research has shown that individuals with hearing loss who wear hearing aids are less likely to report sad feelings and loneliness, which is linked to depression.
They’re also not as likely to feel as though people are angry with them or trying to avoid them. They’re not as likely to isolate themselves from others.
Greater happiness is the result of less depression.
- Being 24% less likely to deal with cognitive decline
If you have a dad, mom, or aunt who is coping with dementia, you know how scary it is for the family and the individual in mental decline. Cognitive decline makes people feel older because they’re always forgetting, and it takes longer for them to understand things.
As cognitive decline progresses, the individuals who are coping with it are no longer able to do the things that make them feel happy and youthful.
If your risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s can be lowered by simply using hearing aids, shouldn’t that be what you’re doing.
- Reducing your risk of falling by 30%
As we age, the chances of falling and hurting ourselves becomes a real possibility. When we were younger, we were much more stable. A bad fall could cause a serious fracture that results in a hospital stay and several weeks of rehab.
That’s not where you want to spend your time. It’s not fun to be in the hospital in pain.
You’re happier when you’re capable of getting around easily. You’re more sure of your movements and less likely to be startled.
Wearing your hearing aid will allow you to spend more time with friends and family and less time stuck in a hospital bed.
- Having 30% fewer misunderstandings and arguments
How many disputes start because you thought you heard somebody say something unfavorable, but in reality, the person said something else? Or, maybe, a friend raises her voice so you can hear her more clearly, but you think she’s yelling at you.
Untreated hearing loss puts an enormous strain on your relationships with friends and family. Resentment, anger, sadness, and other negative emotions are often the consequence. But wearing your hearing aid helps you hear better, which will create more positive connections with your friends and family members. Helping you remain youthful and happy at any age.
Recover what you’ve lost
Have you been using your hearing aid? You might have forgotten some of the basic joys in life that you’re missing, including:
- Music
- Children’s laughter
- Conversations with friends and family without needing them to speak up
- The sounds of nature at your local park
- Outings and social clubs
If you have hearing loss, you might still hear these things to some degree but they are most likely not as pleasant.