As we age, hearing loss is typically thought to be an inescapable fact of life. Lots of older Americans suffer from some type of hearing loss or tinnitus, which is a persistent ringing in the ears. But for such an accepted condition lots of people still won't admit they have hearing loss.

A new study from Canada reports that hearing loss is experienced by more than half of Canadians, but that 77% of those individuals don't document any concerns. Some form of hearing loss is experienced by more than 48 million Americans and untreated. Whether this denial is deliberate or not is up for debate, but either way, loss of hearing is neglected by a significant number of people – which could bring about substantial problems down the road.

Why do Some Individuals Not Know They Have Loss of Hearing?

That matter is a complicated one. Hearing loss is a slow process, and problems comprehending people and hearing things go unnoticed. Or, more commonly, they might blame it on something else – the person they're talking to is mumbling, the TV volume is too low, or there's too much background noise. hearing loss can be blamed, unfortunately, on quite a few things, and people's first instinct is not usually going to be to get checked out or have a hearing test.

It also happens that some people just won't accept that they suffer from hearing loss. Another study conducted in the United States shows that many seniors flat out refuse to admit that they have a hearing issue. They hide their problem however they can, either they perceive a stigma around hearing loss or because they don't like to admit to having an issue.

The problem is, you could be negatively impacting your overall health by ignoring your hearing loss.

Untreated Hearing Loss Can Have a Debilitating Impact

Loss of hearing does not only affect your ears – it has been linked to different ailments such as anxiety, cognitive decline, and depression, and it can also be a symptom of high blood pressure and heart disease.

Research has shown that people who have addressed their loss of hearing with cognitive therapy, diet changes and hearing aids have better general health and longer life expectancy.

It's important to acknowledge the indications of hearing loss – continual ringing or humming in the ears, difficulty having conversations, having to turn up the volume of your TV or radio.

How Can You Manage Hearing Loss?

You can control your hearing loss using several treatment options. Hearing aids are the type of treatment that is the most prevalent, and hearing aid tech has grown leaps and bounds over the past few years so it's unlikely you'll have the same issues your grandparents or parents did. Hearing aids now have the ability to filter out background noise and wind, while also connecting wirelessly to devices like your TV, tablet, or radio.

A changes in the foods you eat could also have a healthy effect on the health of your hearing if you suffer from anemia. Consuming more foods that are high in iron has been discovered to help people combat tinnitus and loss of hearing since iron deficiency anemia has been demonstrated to cause loss of hearing.

Getting your hearing checked on a regular basis, however, is the most important thing you can do.

Are you worried you may have hearing issues? Visit us and get tested.