It’s unusual for people to get the same levels of hearing loss in both ears at the same time. One ear is normally a little bit worse than the other, triggering many to ask the question: Do I truly need a set of hearing aids, or can I just treat the ear with more considerable loss of hearing?
In most situations, two hearing aids are will be better than only one. But a single hearing aid may be more appropriate in certain less common situations.
There’s a Reason Why You Have A Pair of Ears
Your ears effectively work as a pair whether you know it or not. Which means that there are some benefits to using two hearing aids.
- The Ability to Correctly Localize: In order to figure out where sounds are coming from, your brain is not only working to interpret but also to place it. This is a lot easier when your brain can triangulate, and in order to do that, it requires solid signals from both ears. When you’re only able to hear well from one ear, it’s much more difficult to figure out where a sound is coming from (which might be crucial if you happen to live near a busy street, for example).
- Focusing on Conversations: If you’re using a hearing aid, the whole point is to aid your hearing. Other people talking is something you will definitely want to hear. Using two hearing aids permits your brain to better filter out background noises. Because your mind has more available data your brain can figure out what is closer and therefore more likely to be something you would want to focus on.
- Modern Hearing Aids Work Together: In the same way as your ears work together naturally, modern hearing aid technology is created to function as a pair. The artificial intelligence and sophisticated features function well because the two pieces communicate with each other and, much like your brain, recognize which sounds to amplify and focus on.
- Improved Ear Health: An unused sense will atrophy in the same way as an unused muscle will. If your ears go for long periods without input signals, your hearing can start to go downhill. Get the organs of your ears the input they require to preserve your hearing by wearing two hearing aids. If you already have tinnitus, wearing two hearing aids can decrease it and also increase your ability to identify sounds.
Are There Instances Where One Hearing Aid Makes Sense?
In most instances, using a pair of hearing aids is a smarter choice. But that begs the question: why would somebody wear a hearing aid in just one ear?
Often we hear two specific reasons:
- You still Hear Perfectly in one ear: If just one of your ears requires a hearing aid, then you may be best served by using a hearing aid in just one ear but it’s definitely something you should have a conversation about your hearing professional about (having one better ear is not the same thing as having one perfect ear).
- Financial concerns: Some people think that they can spend less money if they can wear only one hearing aid. If you really can’t afford to get two, getting one is better than not getting one at all. It’s important to understand, however, it has been proven that your total health costs will increase if you have untreated hearing loss. Your healthcare expenses have been demonstrated to rise by 26 percent after just two years of untreated hearing loss. So so that you can find out if using one hearing aid is right for you, contact a hearing care specialist. We can also help you brainstorm approaches to make hearing aids more affordable.
Two Aids Are Better Than One
Two hearing aids, however, are going to be better than one for your ears and hearing in most instances. The benefits of hearing as well as possible out of both of your ears are simply too plentiful to disregard. In the majority of cases, just as having two ears is better than having only one, having two hearing aids is definitely better than having only one. Schedule an appointment with a hearing care pro to get your hearing checked.