The Effects of Hearing Loss

When your hearing begins to deteriorate, the consequences go far beyond missing a few words in conversations and having to ask someone to repeat themselves. To be fair, that’s a major headache, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to hearing loss. Even minor hearing loss can have a negative impact on our quality of life in several ways, all of which can be mitigated by obtaining the correct hearing aid. Let’s take a look at some scenarios in which hearing loss might result in serious and often unanticipated implications.

Not Being Able to Hear at a Restaurant

Restaurants have a lot of background noise, at least while they’re busy, and the better venues tend to have a lot of customers. Normally, this background noise is what gives restaurants their personality, and it’s not a big deal. Ambient noise, on the other hand, can make it difficult to speak with your fellow diners or hear the wait staff if you can’t hear properly.

People with hearing loss frequently inquire about house specialties, only to nod as if they understand everything before returning to the printed menu and settling for something they may or may not like.

Hearing Loss at Work

Workplace difficulties are similar to those that develop in restaurants. When hearing loss occurs, it might become increasingly difficult to follow conversations and presentations in conference rooms. And, if your job requires you to communicate with clients, a lack of comprehension can come across as disrespectful.

Hearing loss can be extremely dangerous in some industries. For example, on building sites, vocal instructions might mean the difference between life and death. Employees with hearing loss are three times more likely to be hospitalized due to a work-related injury in noisy work environments, according to studies.

Other workplace consequences of untreated hearing loss can be less risky, but nevertheless depressing. Not only will your performance go down in comparison to previous years and coworkers, but you will also be more likely to be fired. Allowing hearing loss problems in the workplace to continue untreated will inevitably result in stress, which can lead to a variety of secondary health issues.

Affect Your Social Skills in the Real World

Hearing loss has consequences that reach far beyond the workplace. You rely on your hearing in a variety of ways when you depart to take the bus or train home.

When speakers on the subway platform cancel trains or inform you of delays, it’s difficult enough to understand them over poor-quality PA systems without hearing loss. However, being informed about transportation becomes a nightmare when your hearing can’t pick up distinct words and focusing on conversation gets difficult.

You’ll start to miss announcements regarding stops or information offered by station attendants in new cities. Even with all the tools in the world to assist us, you’ll quickly realize how vital speech is for travelling around modern cities.

Then there’s the group of commuters with whom we share the road. When we go to and from work, we must ask others to move aside, apologize, smile and say hello – all of the small things that ensure that large crowds of people move smoothly. When you can’t hear well, dealing with strangers becomes more complicated and difficult, especially on crowded buses or trains.

Last but not least, there’s the road. When you can’t hear well, it’s difficult to identify incoming vehicles, and push bikes are especially difficult to detect, increasing the chance of an accident.

Personal Time Is Affected

Hearing loss can have a negative impact on how we relax, leading to anxiety and frustration if the problem is not addressed. However, hearing loss affects people all around the world. When you go to the movies, it can feel like you’re slipping back into the silent era. Socializing with friends in person or over the phone might be tough and watching TV can be aggravating as shows that were once captivating have devolved into a jumble of noises that won’t come together.

Hearing loss, as you can see, can have a significant negative impact on daily living. When your hearing starts to deteriorate, everything becomes slightly tougher, less enjoyable and more perplexing, from meal times to the office, from construction sites to theatres. If you’ve noticed hearing loss, get in touch with us today here at Desert Hearing Care at (480) 374-1846 to book an appointment with an audiologist. Remember early treatment is best!