It’s uncommon that people get identical amount of hearing loss in both ears simultaneously. Because one ear commonly has worse loss of hearing than the other, it raises the question: Do I actually need a pair of hearing aids, or can I simply treat the ear with more substantial hearing loss?
One hearing aid, in most cases, will not be preferable to two. But there are certain instances, considerably less common instances, that is, that a single hearing aid may be the right choice.
There’s a Reason Why You Have Two Ears
Whether you know it or not, your ears efficiently work as a pair. That means using two hearing aids has specific benefits over using one.
- The Ability to Correctly Localize: Your brain is always working, not only to interpret sounds but also to place them in order to figure out where they’re coming from. In order to correctly triangulate where sound is coming from, your brain needs signals from both ears. When you’re only able to hear well from one ear, it’s a lot harder to figure out where a sound is coming from (which could be essential if you happen to live near a busy street, for instance).
- Concentrating When People Are Talking: If you use a hearing aid, the whole point is to aid you in hearing. Other people talking is something you will definitely need to hear. Because your brain has more sound stimulation when wearing hearing aids, it is better able to filter out background noise allowing it to decide what sounds to focus on because they are closer.
- Modern Hearing Aids Work as a Set: More modern hearing aid technology is made to work as a pair just like your ears are. The two hearing aids communicate with one another using sophisticated features and artificial intelligence to, much like your brain, recognize which sounds to focus on and amplify.
- Make The Health of Your Ears Better: An unused sense will atrophy in the same way as an unused muscle will. Your hearing can start to go downhill if your ears don’t receive regular sound input. Get the organs of your ears the input they need to preserve your hearing by wearing two hearing aids. Wearing two hearing aids can also help reduce tinnitus (if you have it) and increase your ability to discern sounds.
Is One Hearing Practical in Some Situations?
In most cases, wearing a pair of hearing aids is a better choice. But that raises the question: why would somebody wear a hearing aid in only one ear?
Well, normally there are two reasons:
- One Ear Still Has Perfect Hearing: If just one of your ears requires a hearing aid, then you could be best served by having a hearing aid in just one ear but it’s certainly something you should have a conversation about your hearing professional about (having one better ear is not the same as having one perfect ear).
- Monetary concerns: Some people think if they can make do with only one they will save money. If you really can’t afford to buy two, one is better than not getting one at all. Still, you should recognize that eventually untreated hearing loss has been shown to increase your overall healthcare expenses. Your healthcare expenses have been demonstrated to rise by 26 percent after just two years of neglected hearing loss. So so that you can learn if using one hearing aid is the right choice for you, talk to a hearing care specialist. Finding ways to help make hearing aids more affordable is an additional service we offer.
One Hearing Aid is Not as Effective as Two
In most cases, however, two hearing aids will be healthier for your ears and your hearing than just one. The benefits of hearing as well as possible out of both of your ears are simply too plentiful to ignore. In the majority of situations, just as having two ears is better than having one, having two hearing aids is definitely better than having only one. Schedule an appointment with a hearing care professional to have your hearing examined.
