Peter studied hearing aid fitting at the world headquarters of Starkey Labs. He was able to have hands on training with the company’s founder, Bill Austin. He has also undergone advanced training in the smallest, nearly invisible style hearing aids, and has expanded his education by traveling to Denmark to learn directly from European hearing aid manufacturers. He continues to attend conferences and training seminars to stay current on the rapidly evolving world of hearing aid technology.
Latest posts by Peter Lucier, HIS (see all)
- Signs You May Need a Hearing Test and What to Expect - November 16, 2024
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- Public Speaking and Overcoming Hearing Loss - October 27, 2024
Do you experience hearing loss? It’s more common than many would suspect. Commonly thought of as a condition which primarily affects older adults, in truth One in eight people in the United States (13 percent, or 30 million) aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears, based on standard hearing examinations.
Not only is it normal for hearing loss to occur due to exposure to noise, impact to the head, exposure to certain chemicals, medications or more, it can also surprising affect many aspects of our life. Miscommunications connected to hearing loss can cause rifts in our relationships, performance at work, our social life, likeliness to stay active, try new things and even contribute to cognitive decline. On top of all of this, hearing loss can be incredibly exhausting. However, a recent study shows that by addressing your hearing loss, your can reduce listening fatigue.
What is Listen Fatigue?
When hearing loss sets in, it can often develop gradually over years and even decades. By the time many of us are able to self-diagnose our loss, it is notable enough to be prevent even in the most ideal of listening environments. However, you don’t have to know you have a hearing loss for it to affect your energy levels and fatigue. Hearing loss often starts as the loss of certain tones or pitches. This often takes the action of missing parts of words in speech and conversation. Your brain is tasked with deciphering speech as it arrives broken in your brain. While it may not seem as if hearing takes much physical effort, when we have trouble hearing, it puts a lot of stress on our whole body. The result is listening fatigue, even from minor social interactions.
Health Implications Connected to Listening Fatigue
When everyday social interactions exhaust you, it’s common for people to avoid them whenever they can. This surprisingly can be one of the greatest health risks of hearing loss. For the most part, humans are social creatures who enjoy spending time together, connecting, sharing ideas, and feeling a part of something larger than themselves. When hearing loss goes unaddressed it’s common for people to begin to avoid social interactions. The result is often self-isolation, chronic loneliness, less likeliness to try new things and struggles with mobility.
Brain fatigue
In addition, one of the greatest health risks for developing Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia as we age, is hearing loss because of its effects on social interaction. Social interactions are yet another way we challenge the mind to new ideas, keeping us sharp and engaged. Hearing loss often causes us to take longer to understand what sounds mean. This can cause our brains to create new pathways for hearing, requiring more mental power to do the detective work in piecing together speech and sound. This can create less accuracy, leading us to more mistakes and cognitive decline. Our concentration is interrupted frequently, increasing the likeliness of falls and accidents which could lead to hospitalization, particularly for older adults.
Study Finding that Treating Hearing Loss May Lessen Fatigue.
A recent study from Scotland observed that people who use hearing aids report feeling less tired and spend more time being social with friends. The study found that when people start addressing their hearing loss with a properly prescribed pair of hearing aids, they reported much less fatigue from listening, their social activity levels went up, and their ability to participate in social activities was increase- especially in comparison to those with hearing loss who did not start using hearing aids.
Schedule a Hearing Consultation Today!
You may have hearing loss and not even know it. If you work in a noisy environment, have sustained impact to the head, or are just nearing 60 years of age, your risk of hearing loss is significant. Contact us to set up a hearing exam. We can diagnose the extent of your hearing loss and determine the most effective treatment to keep you feeling energetic and engaged in the life you love. Connect with us now to find out more!