Does Hearing Loss Affect More Than Just Hearing?

When you think of hearing loss, you likely think of your ears and your overall ability to hear. Although hearing loss will certainly – as the name suggests – cause issues in this respect, this is not the only thing it can do, and you might well find that other areas of your life or your body are affected too.

From personal relationships to your professional life, untreated hearing loss can have an impact on your everyday living; making it critical to get the diagnosis and treatment you need.

Earning capability

In most jobs, you will need to be able to listen to and follow instructions. If you can’t do this, it can be hard to find work since it will be easy to miss out on information that you need to know. 

On top of this, some workplaces can be very noisy, making the situation even more difficult, and potentially exacerbating the hearing loss the employee is experiencing. This can make relatively simple work feel confusing and difficult, and it can mean that colleagues find it hard to put their trust in the person with hearing loss. Whichever way you look at it, allowing your hearing loss to remain untreated could cause issues in your reliability at work.

Relationships 

Hearing loss can cause conflict at home and it can make relationships much more difficult. Even something as seemingly trivial as turning the volume on the TV up too high, a spouse or partner having to repeat themselves every time they speak can cause tension. Something else that can be problematic is when a well-meaning loved one tries to encourage the person who has hearing loss to seek professional help; this can lead to friction and arguments, even when it is the right thing to do. 

Safety issues 

For those with hearing loss, safety is always a big concern. Think of the alarms you have in your home, such as your smoke or fire alarm and your carbon monoxide alarm. What would happen if these sounded and you couldn’t hear them? It would be extremely dangerous. Outside of the house, not being able to clearly hear the noise of a car in the road when crossing or someone calling out to warn you of a danger ahead, among many other problems could all head to injury or worse. 

Mental health concerns 

When you are having various issues at work, at home and with your health in general, you might find that it all takes a toll on your mental health after a while, and studies have shown that those with hearing loss are at a high risk of developing depression, anxiety or social isolation. Getting proper treatment will help you hear and communicate clearly, helping to combat the above conditions.