As you’ve been getting older, you’ve probably been trying to find ways to preserve your youthfulness.
You’ve looked for it in your diet, supplements, exercise. You’ve already spent a lot on keeping your hair and keeping wrinkles at bay. You’ve even tried yoga. It doesn’t matter what your age, you can stay youthful and happy.
But fortunately, there’s an inexpensive way to keep that youthful happy feeling which has scientific support. Yet, among individuals who would benefit, fewer than 16% are taking advantage of it.
The “trick” is easy – they’re wearing their hearing aids to treat their hearing loss.
This trick may 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 impacted.
A study showed that out of all people between 45 and 54, hearing loss is experienced by 11% of them. By age 80 that percentage increases to 90%. Of those between the ages of 65 and 74, almost 25 percent experience disabling hearing loss and that number increases to 50% by age 80.
Furthermore, hearing loss is twice as common among men under the age of 70 compared to women in the same age group.
While you most likely correlate hearing loss with growing old, most hearing loss develops due to exposure to loud and harmful sounds. Over the course of their lives, some individuals are exposed to more harmful sound than others.
Hearing loss isn’t an inevitability, but failing to treat your hearing loss has been demonstrated by repeated studies, to affect your general health, happiness, and youthfulness.
But hearing aids are used by only 1 out of 7 people who actually need them.
Your Secret to Youthfulness And Happiness is Your Hearing Aid
Using your hearing aid has been directly linked to the following results:
- Being 20% more likely to take part in social activities
You’ll agree, being around others is one of the things that make life rewarding. You feel younger and happier when you spend precious time with people you love doing the activities you enjoy.
People are more likely to stay socially active when they wear their hearing aid regularly..
- Having a 30% less-likelihood of depression
Research has shown that individuals with hearing loss who use 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. It’s not as common for them to engage in self isolation.
Less depression equals greater happiness.
- Being 24% less likely to experience mental decline
If you have a person in your family that has dementia you know all too well how scary that can be. Mental decline makes people feel older because they’re continually forgetting, and it takes longer for them to process things.
As the decline continues, they lose lots of the things that make them happy and youthful because they become unable to do them.
If your risk of getting dementia and Alzheimer’s can be reduced by simply using hearing aids, shouldn’t that be what you’re doing.
- Falling risk reduced by 30%
The danger of falling and sustaining a severe injury becomes a serious worry as we get older. When we were younger, we were much more stable. A hospital stay and several weeks of rehab could be the result if a serious fall results in a fracture.
That’s not a place you want to be. It’s no fun to be hospitalized 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.
Hearing aids will make a hospital stay less likely and will let you spend more time with family and friends.
- Having 30% fewer arguments and misunderstandings
How many times have you been involved in a misunderstanding because you failed to hear what someone actually said. Or maybe you think someone is yelling at you because they need to raise their voice so you can hear them.
Neglected hearing loss puts an enormous strain on your relationships with family and friends. It can result in resentment, anger, sadness, and other negative emotions. But you will have more positive interactions with friends and family if you can hear better which hearing aids will help you do. Whatever age you may be, this will help you stay happy and youthful.
Whatever you’ve lost, reclaim it
Have you been wearing your hearing aid? Many of the simple joys in life which you’ve been missing include:
- Music
- Conversations with friends and family without needing them to speak louder
- Children’s laughter
- Social clubs and outings
- Nature sounds outdoors
If you have hearing loss, you might still hear these things to some degree but they are probably not as pleasant.