Hearing Amplifiers vs Hearing Aids: Know the Difference
Hearing loss can make a big impact on your life. It can affect every aspect of your life in a negative way. the questions are what do you do when you loss your hearing?. Hearing amplifiers vs hearing aids?.Most people don’t usual know which one to go for. I recently wrote a post on hearing amplifiers best buy for the hearing impaired.You can check them out.
Today, you will learn the difference between these two technological devices. before I get into the difference,lets talk about what really causes hearing loss.
What Causes Hearing Loss?
According to Webmd, Don’t take your hearing for granted. Hearing loss i is the third most common health problem in the U.S, andit can affect the quality of your life and relationships.About 48 millionAmericans havelost some hearing.
lets look at some of the common causes of hearing loss. This will also help you avoid the causes that are preventable.
- Noise: wears down hearing if it’s loud or continuous. In some workplaces such as construction sites, welding, etc ears are exposed to dangerous noise levels every day. To understand the impact of noise, consider this: 44% of carpenters and 48% of plumbers report some hearing loss. Other noisy lines of work include the military, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation.
- Old Age:As the years pass by ,you grow older and loss your hearing. Research has shown that one out of three seniors between the ages of65-74 has some level of hearing loss. But it isn’t clear yet why people hearing decline as the get older. It is believed that it could be as a result of the lifetime exposure to noise and other damaging factors slowly wearing down the ears’ delicate mechanics. your genes apparently could also play a role in your hearing loss.
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- Medications : Certain medications can impair your hearing or balance. Some antibiotics, dialectics, aspirin, malaria treatment drugs, several erectile dysfunction drugs,etc can cause hearing loss or balance. It is believed that more than 200 drugs and chemicals have a track record of triggering hearing and balance side effects in addition to their disease-fighting abilities.
- Infections and some illnesses: Ear wax can block ear canal and lessen hearing. Some illnesses like heart disease,diabetes, high blood pressure,etc can cause hearing loss.
- Trauma:especially a skull fracture or punctured eardrum, puts ears at serious risk for hearing loss.
The Signs of Hearing Loss
If you suspect that you might have lost your hearing, it is recommended that you see a doctor especially an ear specialist to ascertain whether you have indeed loss you hearing. He or she will all be able to identify whether your hearing loss can be surgically or medically treated.
You may have a hearing lost if
- You need to turn the TV or Radio up louder than other people
- People say you are shouting when you talk
- You often ask people to repeat themselves because you can’t hear or understand them especially if there is background noise
- You have to strain to hear
- You can hear more out of one ear than the other
These are the Levels of hearing losses that doctors have identified and classified;
- Mild hearing loss: These people find it hard to hear every word in a one-on-one conversation when there is background noise.
- Moderate hearing loss: These people often ask people to repeat themselves during conversations in person or on the telephone.
- Severe hearing loss: They need a hearing aid to be able to follow conversations.
- Profound hearing loss: When you can hear what others are saying unless they are extremely loud. You can’t hear what they are saying without hearing aids.
Lets have a look at what these hearing amplifiers and hearing aids are and what differentiate them.
What are Hearing Amplifiers?
Hearing amplifiers magnifies sound just as their names suggest. These help increase sounds that you struggle or you don’t usual hear.Such as frequencies that were usual inaudible to the ear.Personal hearing amplifiers and sound amplifiers are the same. These names are interchangeably use on the internet.
Next time you hear or see sound amplifiers, it simply refers to personal hearing amplifiers. These amplifiers are usual very small in sizes and quite invisible on the ear.Easy to use, remove,clean and maintain.
How do they work?
They work in similar fashion just like a microphone. They pick up their surrounding noises which contains lots of different frequencies .These signals are amplified by the tiny amplifiers inside the sound amplifier that are within the hearing frequency spectrum.
what are hearing aids?
Hearing aids are small electronic devices you wear behind your ears that make sound loud enough for people with hearing loss to be able to hear.It makes some sounds louder so that a person with hearing loss can listen, communicate, and participate more fully in daily activities.
A hearing aid has three basic parts: a microphone, amplifier, and speaker. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone, which converts the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker.
They come in different styles: behind-the-eye, in-the-eye and the canal. Both the analog and digital exist and the operate differently.
Hearing Amplifiers vs Hearing Aids
Hearing amplifiers are used by many people as a cheaper alternative to hearing aids. these days, hearing aids are costly. People with mild to moderate hearing loss can use personal hearing amplifiers and people with severe to profound hearing loss should be using the hearing aids.
As to whether which one is appropriate for you to use, you should consult with your doctor to ascertain your level of hearing loss. I have seen a lot of customers reviews on Amazon complaining the hearing amplifiers are not working.The reason could be most of those people don’t now their level of hearing loss.
If you have any thoughts on hearing amplifiers vs hearing aids in this article, feel free to leave it in the comment box.
Thank you
Josephine Dassah is a Content Manager at SeniorHealthStores.com. She is an Electrical EngineeringGrad, Healthy lifestyleenthusiast and She is interested in things that bring the wellbeing of others. She believes through her writing, she can share valuable information and contribute to the quality of life of other people.
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