Do you ever worry that your hearing aids might be having some related side effects to your overall health? Well, if yes, then you have come to the right place. Pay close attention to this article as it will cover everything you need to know about hearing aids and how they may affect a user’s health.
What are Hearing Aids?
Hearing aids are devices that are used to reduce the effects of hearing loss. And for one reason or the other, you might need these devices at some point.
The devices are custom made to fit a patient’s exact condition. Hence, hearing aids are undoubtedly one of the best hearing loss remedies we have around.
If you are one of those many individuals who rely solely on hearing aids to communicate, then you understand just how important these devices are.
They come with high-tech features that are designed to adapt to the environment and even make the needed adjustments automatically.
Others may come with a control system that you can use therefore we can say that generally they are maximized to give the users the best experience.
However, these are electrical devices and like most of the tech we have today, they bare some consequences in the long term.
Needless to say, even that cell phone or digital screen you have at your home has some negative effects on your life. And these hearing aid devices are no exception.
Hearing Aids Side Effects
1. Headaches
Even if you have a normal hearing, walking into a room with loud noises can be distracting and sometimes cause really bad headaches.
The same thing happens when you are using hearing aids. When the hearing aid is not properly adjusted and the noises around you are too loud, you are likely to suffer from headaches.
That can cause a lot of discomfort to the user or even a constant ringing sound in the ears that won’t go away. Therefore, if you experience any of these problems while using your hearing aid, then you should check in with your specialist for further diagnosis.
2. Loss of Hearing
If you have spent time with someone who uses hearing aids, we bet you have heard them constantly complain that their hearing is degrading even after being on assisting devices. That is because these devices work by pushing up the volume so that the patient can hear more clearly.
Scientists claim that when it comes to hearing it’s all about the brain. That is because before you started using the hearing aid, your brain had already adjusted to the low levels of sounds. When you started using the hearing aids, your brain switched to making the clearer hearing as your new normal.
Therefore, this means that every time you remove the hearing aid devices, you’ll feel like you’re losing your hearing even more. And this makes you fully dependent on these devices maybe even for the rest of your life. Since instead of correcting the hearing loss, the hearing aid devices only make the ears adapt to louder volumes.
3. The Build-up of Wax in your Ear Canal
The more you use the hearing aid, the more your ears are likely to produce wax. The ear wax builds up leads to some complications such as:
- Ear Pain
- Itchiness
- Even Further Hearing Loss
This puts you in a position where you will have to clean your ears on a regular basis just to avoid these potential effects.
Source: Pixabay
4. Dizziness
Your ears are responsible for your balance. Therefore, every time you have an ear problem, it may result in dizziness and instability. That is why when your hearing aid is too loud, it may cause sound-evoked dizziness.
If you’ve ever felt somehow dizzy whenever using your hearing aid, then this might be the root of the problem.
5. Complications When Eating or Chewing
When using your hearing aids, you might develop hearing problems whenever you eat or chew. This is something you might have to face. You will experience loud volumes whenever you are eating or chewing even if no one is shouting.
This is simply because your hearing canal is blocked by the device.
The air pressure between the device and your eardrum will end up trapping sound frequencies that can be transmitted from your vocal cords or even jaws using the skull. Using hearing aids with vents might help you reduce the air gap.
6. Tinnitus
Tinnitus is one of the problems related to hearing loss. All the same most of the patients using hearing aids state that the situation worsens as soon as they start using these devices.
Such situations arise whenever the patient:
- Increases the volume – instances when patients over amplify their devices.
- Experiences auditory fatigue for instance in a situation where there is a high demand for their auditory systems.
7. Itchiness, Discomfort and Ear Rashes
If your hearing aid is poorly fitted, it may result in itchiness or ear rashes. This will cause discomfort to your ear. You should always make sure the hearing aid you are using is a perfect fit for you.
Final Verdict
We hope with the above descriptions about hearing aids side effects helped you to know that there is some potential risk when using hearing aids.
You should also note that finding the right hearing aid will help reduce some of the effects for instance dizziness.
Additionally, you can also seek your doctor’s advice in any case you develop any of the above symptoms.