Many people need hearing aids. However, many Americans with hearing loss do not invest in hearing technology. One of the most common reasons is that people think they get along “just fine” without help. 

One of the first responses people have when they try a hearing aid for the first time, however, is complete amazement: They cannot believe how much they were missing! You may not think you need a hearing aid, but there are a number of ways that hearing aids can improve your daily life, too.

1. Earn More

Did you know that not wearing hearing aids could cost you money? Many people decide not to get hearing aids because of the expense. But studies have shown that you could be losing more than you are saving. 

People who need hearing aids but don’t use them earn less at work. On average, they’re earning about $30,000 less per year than they could be. They may miss out on performance bonuses or merit raises because their problems hearing impair their work performance. 

Hearing aids, then, may improve your financial situation by helping you earn more!

2. Improve Social Interaction

Are you constantly asking your friends to repeat something during a dinner conversation? Do you find yourself getting lost when you’re speaking to someone, even one on one? Unfortunately, hearing loss can affect how well you hear and perceive speech. Even mild hearing loss can make it difficult to follow a conversation, especially when you’re in a big group. 

That tends to increase social isolation. Conversation becomes less enjoyable since you have to work so hard to understand speech, and you often feel puzzled or left out. You may start declining invitations to go out for dinner with big groups, or you may simply withdraw from conversation. A hearing aid can help make conversation a pleasure again, which means you can keep enjoying all of the social events you enjoyed before.

3. You Could Be Missing Out

Did you hear the telephone or your doorbell ring?Did you hear all of the dialog while you were watching a television show? Or maybe you wereat a clinic or even a shopping center, and there was an announcement that you missed out on. Without a hearing aid, you could miss out on all kinds of auditory information, including everything from announcements about gate changes at the airport to something as simple as the birds chirping outside on a nice spring morning.

Worse, you could be missing the auditory information that could help keep you safe. Would you be able to hear a fire alarm or a smoke detector if it went off? Would you be able to tell which direction sirens or a honking horn came from?

Hearing aids improve not only your ability to perceive sound, but also your ability to locate it, which can help you avoid hazards and stay safer.

4. It’s Easier for Your Loved Ones

You might think your hearing only affects you—after all, you’re the one who can or cannot hear! But hearing impairment also affects those around you—including your family, friends, co-workers, and others. Everyone you interact with has some stake in your hearing.

Friends and family may be patient, but even they will find it more difficult to talk to you when you need to ask them to repeat themselves, and they may avoid conversations. When you can hear, not only is the conversation more pleasurable for you, but for your loved ones as well.

Schedule an appointment with a doctoral-level audiologist and hear what you’ve been missing.