Living Alone Doesn’t Mean Living in Silence

Silence at home may feel normal – but missing the sounds around you can impact more than you think. People sometimes think wearing hearing aids is just for conversations or clarity in speech but wearing hearing aids is important for so much more.

Why you should wear hearing aids, even when you are alone:

Maintaining stimulation to the brain:

When you wear hearing aids all the time, your brain is always picking up sounds around you. Even if you don’t like your loud furnace/AC or your noisy refrigerator in the kitchen, by consistently hearing ambient house sounds, your brain is always adjusting to those sounds in real time and eventually becomes accustomed to them. When you wear your hearing aids only part time and then start using them again after several days or weeks, household appliances can sound louder because your brain hears them as “new” and treats them as important.

Overall safety:

We all have smoke detectors in our homes for smoke detection and fires. Most of us have smartphones that send notifications for severe weather warnings. Depending on your hearing loss, you may miss those alarms and warning systems. Wearing your hearing aids keeps you alert for these important systems. Furthermore, if you are someone who likes to work out in the yard, it’s recommended to wear your hearing aids for awareness of your surroundings. Wearing your hearing aids helps you to stay aware and feel safer. Surprisingly, most people don’t think about these safety issues.

Other reasons to wear your hearing aids daily:

If you’re someone who lives alone, you might have family or friends who check in on you to make sure you are doing well. When wearing your hearing aids, you are always ready for those phone calls, knocks on the door, or doorbell chimes. If you don’t respond in a timely manner, your loved ones might think there is something seriously wrong. 

Aside from clarity or speech when watching tv, another thing to consider is the volume of your tv. When living alone, you may turn the volume up on your tv to hear it because no one else is watching with you, but neighbors may not enjoy hearing your loud tv next door. Wearing your hearing aids will allow you to enjoy your tv programs at a considerate volume. 

It is, of course, normal to take a break from your hearing aids from time to time! But hearing the sounds around you day to day is just as important as hearing conversations when you are with people.

If you are someone who doesn't currently wear hearing aids and you notice you are missing things at home when alone, reach out to your nearest HearingLife for a free hearing test and demonstration of the latest hearing aids. We would love to show you what’s new and how hearing better can help you live better.