It’s important to have things in life that bring you joy, and for many, hobbies are just that. Whether you like to garden, paint, go for hikes or play pickleball at Heller Park, hobbies keep your mind active and engaged and connect you to others.
Untreated hearing loss can make it harder to engage in many of the activities you enjoy, including your favorite hobbies.
Hearing Loss Makes Communication More Difficult
By far, one of the most difficult things about hearing loss is how it impedes our ability to connect with others. This can affect our relationships with our spouses, partners, family members and friends. Additionally, it can make engaging in hobbies with other people challenging.
If you find yourself struggling to follow the conversation during your book club or can’t hear what your teammates are saying during a pickup basketball game, it makes these activities less fun and more stressful.
You may spend so much energy straining to hear that you feel mentally exhausted and drained as opposed to excited to be doing something you enjoy.
All of these feelings can make you start to withdraw from many social activities, including your hobbies.
Certain Hobbies May Become More Dangerous
Hearing doesn’t just make it easier to connect; it plays an essential role in alerting us to important noises and potential danger. For example, if you enjoy intense hikes or mountain climbing, it’s vital to be able to hear what other climbers are saying. In less extreme examples, things like cycling, woodworking or even cooking all require the ability to hear certain noises that, if you can’t, may put you at a greater risk of having an accident or injury.
With all these added difficulties, it comes as no surprise that studies have shown that untreated hearing loss can lead to issues like isolation and reduced social activity, which can lead to a poorer quality of life.
Hearing Aids Can Make It Easier to do What You Love
If hearing loss is getting in the way of enjoying activities and connecting with others, schedule an appointment for a hearing test. These tests can quickly determine both the cause and severity of your hearing loss. From there, you and your audiologist can work together to find the right hearing aids that best help you process sounds and fit with your preferences and lifestyle.
To learn more about how hearing aids can benefit you, contact the experts at Eastern Oklahoma ENT today.