News and Highlights

How do I know if I have hearing loss?

Hearing problems usually appear progressively or sometimes appear without warning, in both cases knowing how to identify the main symptoms and react as soon as possible is key so that hearing loss does not negatively affect our family, social and professional life.

 

Some of the most common and easily recognized symptoms of hearing loss are:

 

- The need to constantly repeat part of the conversation. This usually happens in most cases, when we are in a noisy environment or in group conversations.

- Listen to the radio or television at very high volumes. People who live with people who have hearing loss always complain especially about this point.

- Very difficult to maintain a telephone conversation.

- We have a hard time concentrating much more besides forgetfulness and lack of productivity at work.

- Our ability to react and alert to danger is quite diminished.

- We are more predisposed to social isolation, we avoid meetings and we feel more depressed, irritable and frustrated.

Although it may sound incredible in the times we live in, there is still a sense of social stigma and shame in acknowledging that we suffer from hearing loss.

Many people, out of shame or because they refuse to accept the hearing problem, do not put any type of remedy to this degenerative condition that negatively affects our life and our health in a direct way.

For this reason, it is crucial to detect the problem and find an effective solution, which in most cases is hearing aids.

 

6 reasons to wear hearing aids

 

1. Our family and social relationships will improve and therefore we will not tend to be isolated, depressed or angry.

2. Hearing aids are becoming smaller and more sophisticated, with a discreet design and a range of colors to choose from.

3. Hearing aids increasingly have cutting-edge technology, with direct connectivity to our Smartphone to control volume and program changes directly, to be able to answer calls or the radio.

4. The chances of being able to adjust to wearing hearing aids are greater the sooner you take the step of visiting a hearing center.

5. With the use of hearing aids we improve our understanding in noisy environments or group conversations.

6. They will give us a sense of security by knowing what is happening around us

IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS: HEARING WELL

Taking care of our hearing is essential to have a more active and happy life. Losing hearing leads us to live in a quieter and quieter world and inevitably we will be more prone to isolate ourselves and suffer from depression.

 

When asked what is the cause of our happiness, few of us will answer: hear well.

If we stop to think, relationships with our loved ones, fun conversations with friends, feeling encouraged to share events with them, listening to relaxing music or going to the movies, are things that make us happy, but if our hearing fails we cannot enjoy the same way. It is when we begin to feel uncomfortable or even avoid these moments, gradually being separated from our surroundings and depriving ourselves of those moments that give us so much happiness.

Several studies show the direct connection with untreated hearing loss and mental health problems, for example depression or anxiety.

When we are truly aware that we have a hearing problem that prevents us from hearing correctly, we appreciate even more how important it is to hear well in a society full of sound stimuli.

However, it is very common that people who suffer from hearing loss do not want to accept it, being a source of shame, hiding their problem. These people often listen, but do not understand and this leads to social isolation and frustration, developing a sour or unpleasant character as a defense against that hearing problem without treating.

 

Fortunately, there are many ways to help people with hearing loss. Although in very few cases this situation can be improved through medication or surgical intervention, the majority of patients improve substantially and reverse this situation by adapting hearing aids.

When our patients finally become aware of the negative repercussions of untreated hearing loss, and take the step of visiting us, they have already solved a large part of the problem.

In our cabinet, the audio prosthetist will perform a complete hearing test which will reveal to us what the possible solutions are. There are as many different hearing losses as there are people, depending on the results, he will present several solutions and explain each one in detail until we choose the most appropriate one according to the case and our expectations in terms of technology, aesthetics and future needs.

The first step to being happy is recognizing the problem and letting yourself be helped by a human, professional and experienced team.

Increase in the use of Hearing Aids in Europe

The use of hearing aids in Europe has increased considerably between 2009 and 2021.

 

The rate of people with hearing loss who have decided to take a professional remedy for their hearing problem has increased in recent years an average of 11.8%, an exponential growth that shows that more and more people with hearing problems They are aware and decide to tackle the root problem. These are the findings of a comparison of EuroTrak studies in various countries of the European Union.

 

Use of hearing aids

 

Studies carried out by EuroTrakc also highlight that the number of people with hearing loss using hearing aids in both ears has increased from 55% to 69%, as the time it takes for users to replace their hearing aids has also dropped significantly, where more in Germany followed by the United Kingdom.

Another of the results to highlight of this study is the incidence of hearing problems in young people, which was 12.5%, which reminds us again that hearing loss is not only a matter of people of a certain age. age if not that hearing problems can appear at any age.

 

More Findings

 

Other findings stand out in the surveys carried out. Satisfaction with hearing aid functionalities increased 7% and satisfaction with hearing aid performance increased 4%.

People with hearing loss, who wear a binaural fitting (that is, in both ears), are more satisfied than those who only wear hearing aids in one ear, in addition to wearing their hearing aids more hours a day.

Hearing aid users feel less tired in the later hours of the day compared to people with hearing loss who do not use hearing aids. There are also indications of lower incidence of depression and better memory compared to non-users.

And to conclude the study reveals that 89% of hearing aid users with work find the use of hearing aids an indispensable help in their workplace.

 

With these data, we can only conclude that more and more people with hearing loss or hearing problems are turning to the most effective solution, the use of hearing aids. On the other hand, we highlight the technological and aesthetic advances in hearing aids, which make them the most recommended option. At Auditec we offer hearing aid tests and one of the most complete and innovative hearing studies of the moment, do not miss your health problems and go to a professional.

Tinnitus and treatment

Tinnitus, is a constant sound in the form of noise or buzzing in the ears that only those who suffer from it can hear.

This is a problem suffered by around 20% of the population, and in the vast majority of cases it causes insomnia, stress and depression, among others. The causes are varied, the most common being prolonged exposure to very loud noises, stress, side effects of some medications or injuries to the neck and head are some of those that we could highlight.

 

Possible treatments

Tinnitus has no cure, but there are multidisciplinary therapies, which have been proven to improve the quality of life of those affected.

Its treatment is not standard, and it can vary depending on the patient and the type of tinnitus they have.One of the most demanded and effective treatments in our office is the one that combines psychological therapy with massages and an audio prosthetic adaptation.

Psychological cognitive-behavioral therapy was originally developed as a treatment for depression and later, it was also used for anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. It is a form of treatment that consists of relaxation, reorganization of thoughts and use of challenging situations to improve the patient's attitude towards tinnitus. This therapy combined with the work of a physical therapist can help a lot to ward off stress, anxiety or depression.

On the other hand, when fitting the patient with hearing aids, we have the option of applying a masking sound, such as the sound of the sea or sounds in different frequency bands, which diverts attention from the brain and largely stops hearing the sound of the tinnitus. In the event that the patient does not have hearing loss, they can still benefit from this innovative treatment, since we not only limit ourselves to treating hearing loss, but also problems related to hearing in general.

Obviously and as in any disease or illness, lifestyle and diet is of great importance. Not drinking caffeine, nicotine, reducing alcohol consumption, managing stress, playing sports and eating a balanced diet all help to prevent the situation from getting worse.

Professional solutions

As hearing experts from Auditec we recommend that you always go to qualified and experienced personnel to treat your problem of tinnitus or tinnitus combined with hearing loss. Early diagnosis is, as always, the most effective when it comes to addressing these types of problems.

Mental health matters

Cognitive decline and mental health are directly related to hearing loss

After more than a year of the pandemic, the coronavirus closures and restrictions have put pressure on the mental health of many people and we have all experienced the pandemic in a different way. Now, more than ever, our mental health matters.

If we add to this situation suffering from untreated hearing loss, it is an explosive mix whose impact on our mental health is direct and negative. From isolation, stress to depression, these are just a few of the scientifically proven side effects that are linked to untreated hearing loss.

Hearing loss can happen at any age. Moreover, according to the statistical data recently provided by the WHO show that 30% of hearing losses are detected between the ages of 35 and 44 and 26% between the ages of 25 and 34. Other factors can influence hearing loss such as being exposed to loud noises, hereditary factors, or diseases, among others.

However, all these problems related to hearing loss can have a solution if they are treated in time.

According to independent studies, 97% of people who have started treatment for hearing loss have significantly improved their quality of life, since it is a fairly common health problem in the population and that, in most cases , can be treated by prescribing the use of hearing aids.

Hearing aids help maintain attention more easily so that sufferers focus with less effort, can participate in social activities, and are not forced into social isolation.

For this reason, at Auditec, thanks to our experience in the hearing sector, we recommend carrying out periodic reviews and going to a specialist at the moment in which a hearing problem or hearing loss is evident to seek the appropriate treatment.

Many people who use hearing aids for the first time notice how their mental energy has increased and experience significant improvements in various aspects of their lives. These include your relationships at home, your ability to socialize, and a sense of independence in both your social and work life.