As we get older, loss of hearing is normally looked at as a fact of life. Loss of hearing is experienced by many older Americans as is tinnitus or a ringing in the ears. But for such an accepted problem many people still deny they suffer from hearing loss.

A new study from Canada says that loss of hearing is experienced by over 50 percent of Canadians, but no issues were reported at all by more than 77% percent of those. Some form of hearing loss is experienced by more than 48 million Americans and goes un-addressed. It’s up for debate whether this denial is on purpose or not, but in either case, hearing loss is ignored by a considerable number of people – which could result in considerable problems down the road.

Why do Some Individuals Not Recognize They Suffer From Loss of Hearing?

It’s a complex matter. It’s a slow process when somebody loses their hearing, and some people might not recognize that they are having a harder time hearing things or comprehending people than they used to. Or, more commonly, they could blame it on something else – the person they’re speaking to is mumbling, volumes aren’t turned up loud enough, or there’s too much background noise. hearing loss can be blamed, unfortunately, on quite a few things, and people’s first instinct is not normally going to be to get examined or get a hearing test.

It also happens that some individuals just won’t accept that they have hearing loss. Another study conducted in the United States shows that many seniors flat out refuse to admit that they have a hearing issue. They do everything they can to cover up their issue, either because they don’t want to acknowledge a problem or because of perceived stigmas associated with hearing loss.

The problem is, you may be negatively influencing your overall health by ignoring your hearing loss.

Untreated Hearing Loss Can Have a Devastating Affect

It’s not just your ears that are impacted by hearing loss – it has been connected to various conditions like anxiety, cognitive decline, and depression, and it can also be a symptom of heart disease and high blood pressure.

Research has shown that people who have loss of hearing commonly have shorter life expectancy rates and their general health is not as strong as others who have managed their hearing loss with hearing aids, dietary changes, or cognitive behavioral treatment.

It’s crucial to recognize the indications of hearing loss – continual ringing or humming in the ears, difficulty carrying on conversations, having to crank up the volume of your radio or TV.

What Can You Do to Manage Hearing Loss?

There are a number of treatment options you can do to get your loss of hearing under control. Hearing aids are the most prevalent form of treatment, and you won’t experience the same kinds of problems that your parents or grandparents did because hearing aid tech has advanced appreciably. Modern hearing aids come with Bluetooth functionality so they can connect wirelessly to your phone or TV and they have the ability to filter out background noise and wing.

A dietary changes could affect your hearing health if you have anemia. Since anemia iron deficiency has been revealed to cause loss of hearing, people who suffer from tinnitus can be helped by eating foods that are high in iron.

The foremost thing you can do, however, is to have your hearing assessed routinely.

Are you concerned you might have hearing troubles? Schedule an appointment for a hearing examination.