Hearing health plays an important role in maintaining quality of life long-term.
While many strategies for “healthy ageing” exist, recent evidence points to the crucial role that hearing health plays in ensuring your wellbeing.
hearing loss and cognitive decline
Better hearing starts in the brain. Your brain processes and interprets the sounds your ears receive. When you have hearing loss, your brain doesn’t receive all the sound information it needs to understand what is being said. It therefore spends more energy trying to fill in the blanks. A growing body of evidence shows that cognitive decline is significantly accelerated when you have hearing loss and don’t use hearing aids. As conversations become difficult and exhausting, you may start to withdraw and avoid the social connections that are so important to brain health.
Read more about helping the hearing impaired child to communicate
“brain first”approach
Today’s advanced hearing aid technology takes into consideration the critical role that the brain plays in hearing. For almost 20 years, Oticon researchers have focused on a “brain first” approach. This approach carefully processes the speech signal so it is presented to the brain as clearly and accurately as possible. With better sound information, the brain doesn’t have to work as hard to understand what is being said. By giving the brain a clearer, more accurate sound signal, Oticon hearing aids with BrainHearing make it easier to understand conversation – even in noise. The result is a more natural, effortless listening experience. This means less demanding mental processing throughout the day so you can engage more actively in everyday life.
easy on the brain, easy connectivity
Oticon Opn is a small, discreet hearing aid that improves your ability to understand speech by up to 30%. Because you don’t have to work as hard to understand, you have greater mental energy to remember what you hear, making communication easier. Opn processes sound at extreme speed to remove distracting noise, even between words. You can follow conversations even in environments with multiple people speaking, such as crowded restaurants.
The BrainHearing solution connects directly to compatible mobile phones and other external devices so you can stay connected on the go. With just a tap of your fingertips, you can stream audio directly to your hearing aids.
tinnitus and your brain
Tinnitus – ringing, buzzing, whistling or other noises in the ear – can disrupt life and interfere with your enjoyment of everyday activities. Hearing aids have proven helpful for people with hearing loss who also experience tinnitus. The explanation is simple. With better hearing, the brain has other external sounds to listen to, making tinnitus less disturbing. Improved hearing also takes away the strain of listening and may help to reduce the stress associated with tinnitus.
refocusing the brain
There are many ways to take control of your tinnitus and reduce its impact on your life. A hearing care professional can help you manage your symptoms through education, counselling and sound therapy. Oticon Opn hearing aids with built-in Tinnitus SoundSupport can help direct your focus away from tinnitus by playing a wide range of relief sounds. You can adjust these sounds until they give the relief you need.
hearing care is health care
It makes sense to take care of your hearing health just as you care about the rest of your health. The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 360 million people worldwide suffer from hearing loss. You owe it to yourself to visit a hearing care professional for a hearing evaluation. Your future as an active, engaged, healthy person could depend on it.
Read more about central auditory processing disorder and common developmental problems
Did you know?
More and more young people are developing hearing loss and a common contributor is listening to loud music for too long!?
