Do You Need A Hearing Aid for Mild Hearing Loss?
Key takeaways:
If you have trouble hearing conversations, especially in noisy environments, you may have mild hearing loss.
Untreated mild hearing loss has been linked to a higher risk of developing dementia.
Any amount of hearing loss, whether mild or severe, shouldn’t be ignored and should be managed with a hearing aid.
Table of contents
Few people are enthusiastic about using hearing aids. Many people deny they have a hearing problem and will put off wearing hearing aids as long as possible.
In one study, people lived with hearing loss for about 9 years before trying a hearing aid. And less than 4% of people with mild hearing loss (the early phase of loss) use a hearing aid.
But this delay can affect more than your conversations, both socially and at work. Studies have shown that untreated hearing loss can increase your risk of a range of health issues. The longer you delay it, the greater the risks to your health and well-being.
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Why is any hearing loss bad for your health?
When you can’t hear well, it can subtly and not so subtly affect how you socialize and interact with people. For example, if you’re in a crowded restaurant and can’t hear over the noise, you might not be able to join the dinner conversation. Instead, you may retreat into your seat — and your thoughts. This isn’t good for your mental health.
Research has shown that hearing loss can lead to other health problems. First, it’s not entirely safe to move about the world with untreated hearing loss. You might not hear people calling to you while you’re out on public roads, trails, or bike paths. And even mild hearing loss has been linked to an increased risk of falls.
Beyond safety, some research has shown that hearing loss is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. One theory is that hearing loss reduces social interactions, which are important to help prevent cognitive decline and depression.
How do I know if I have hearing loss?
The first thing you may notice is that it becomes harder to understand what people are saying in a noisy environment like a restaurant. You can hear the sounds, but the words are harder to figure out because of the background noise. You might ask others to repeat themselves or just pretend you’ve heard. Often, your family is the first to notice you have a hearing problem. They may notice that you don’t hear the microwave beep or that the TV volume is unusually loud.
When to see a doctor about hearing loss
If you notice any of the following signs of hearing problems, you can do a self-test at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Here are some reasons you should consider getting a formal hearing test by an audiologist:
You don’t hear as well if someone isn’t facing you.
You feel like you’re straining to understand conversations, especially in a noisy restaurant.
One ear seems to hear better than the other.
You have trouble hearing soft-spoken people or children.
You may not hear quiet sounds, such as someone walking into a room or birds chirping.
Your hearing can be muffled, as if your fingers are in your ears or your ears are clogged.
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What level of hearing loss requires a hearing aid?
Given the benefits of being able to socialize better with the people around you and the potential risks of untreated hearing loss, anyone with even mild hearing loss should consider getting a hearing aid.
If you notice any symptoms of hearing loss, you should see an audiologist who can test your hearing. Technically, hearing loss is measured by the softest decibel (dB) of sound you can no longer hear. Decibels describe the loudness of sound.
Hearing loss falls into three general categories: mild, moderate, and severe. Mild hearing loss means that you can’t hear sounds that are 26 dBs to 40 dBs. This is roughly equal to dripping water or whispered conversations. If your hearing is better than mild, you may have normal to slight hearing loss, which might not need treatment.
But if you have mild to severe hearing loss, you would benefit from hearing aids. With moderate hearing loss, you may struggle to hear certain consonant and vowel sounds, making it difficult to understand what people say even in a quiet environment.
What can cause mild hearing loss?
Hearing loss is usually caused by aging and exposure to noise. Over time, the tiny hair cells in your ear that pick up sound waves can be damaged or die. The nerve pathways from the ear to the brain can also deteriorate with age.
One of the main causes of damage to these hair cells is exposure to loud noise. Any noise over about 85 dBs that you’re exposed to for a period of time (not just a few seconds) can cause hearing loss. This level of noise is equal to that of a noisy restaurant, a hair dryer, a loud movie, or listening to headphones at high volume. Also, short bursts of very loud noises, like a siren or subways, can also damage hair cells.
Benefits of hearing aids
A hearing aid is an electronic device that you wear behind or in your ear. They’re designed to overcome some of the damage to the hair cells in your ear. The device works by capturing the sound waves and converting them into electrical signals. These signals are then amplified and transmitted back to the hair cells in your ear.
With hearing aids, you’ll be able to hear better in restaurants and other noisy environments, making socializing easier. This can help prevent loneliness and isolation, and help keep your brain functioning at a higher level, which studies have shown can help ward off dementia.
The bottom line
Though many people wait until their hearing loss is moderate to severe, research shows that getting a hearing aid early on — even with just mild hearing loss— can help improve your quality of life and help prevent problems like dementia and depression. If you notice any early signs of hearing loss, see an audiologist for testing. And if you have even mild hearing loss, try to overcome the usual obstacles, such as the stigma of wearing them, and start to use them. Over time, you’ll forget you have them on.
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References
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Self-test for hearing loss.
Chien, W., et al. (2013). Prevalence of hearing aid use among older adults in the United States. Archives of Internal Medicine.
Lin, F. R., et al. (2011). Hearing loss and incident dementia. Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology.
