About 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from using hearing aids. In fact, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, fewer than 30 percent of adults aged 70 and over who could benefit from hearing aids have used them.

This gap suggests there is a lot of misinformation, confusion, and even reluctance when it comes to using hearing aids. We sat down with ENT Memphis audiologist, Dr. Chris Hylander, to find out the answers to some of the top questions people have about hearing aids.

How Do I Know if Hearing Aids Are Right for Me?

Here are some questions that can help you determine if you can benefit from hearing aids:

• Are you having difficulty understanding conversations or asking people to repeat themselves frequently?
• Have your family members noticed you having trouble hearing them?
• Has difficulty hearing affected your daily life at home or work?
• Can your neighbors hear your television?

At your appointment, we will test your hearing to help determine the severity of your hearing loss and help you to determine the extent of its impact on your life.

Will Hearing Aids Help with My Tinnitus?

Some research has concluded that people suffering from tinnitus due to hearing loss can benefit from wearing hearing aids. Amplifying the sounds of your daily life can reduce the intensity of your tinnitus and provide relief. People suffering from tinnitus from other causes may also benefit from hearing aids because there are tinnitus maskers built into new devices that actively target the nuisance sound and put it in the background. Along with hearing aids, we have other ways to address your tinnitus.

Do I Need One Hearing Aid or Two?

Typically most hearing losses occur in both ears therefore it’s ideal to have both ears amplified with hearing aids to deliver the most natural-sounding hearing.

Here’s why two are better than one:

• God made us with two ears and we use both to hear. Cover one ear and listen to a conversation. Now, uncover both ears and listen. Notice the difference. (If you cannot, then you need to come to see us!)
• Localization of sounds is more easily determined when the sound signal enters the ears with its natural timing. Wearing only one hearing aid can alter this timing whereas two hearing aids can sync up with one another.
• Better hearing in noisy environments. Sound localization enables us to hear speech even in noisy environments. The brain uses the timing differences to help pick out speech from the noise.
• There is also a summation effect that plays a role in this as well. Hearing sounds with both ears accounts for approximately 6 dB of volume increase compared to one ear.

ENT Memphis Can Determine if Hearing Aids Can Help

If you answered “yes” to some of the questions above, you may be experiencing hearing loss that could benefit from hearing aids. Don’t waste another day feeling frustrated or isolated because conversations have become challenging. Hearing aids may bring you back into the conversation and allow you to enjoy everyday life more easily. The hearing professionals at ENT Memphis can evaluate your hearing and come up with a plan to address any hearing loss.

You can book an appointment online or call us to schedule a time to discuss your concerns about hearing loss.