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We think of ourselves as balanced and symmetrical, but the truth is that there are always slight differences in our bodies from one side to the other. Think of the way that you are stronger on your dominant side or how there’s often a variation in your shoe size from left to right. Or your contact lens prescription differs between eyes.
The same phenomenon appears in the way hearing loss affects us, too. It’s fairly common to find that your hearing loss is more severe in one ear. Which begs the question: should you treat hearing loss with one or two hearing aids?
What is sound localization?
Because it happens instantaneously and on a subconscious level, you might not be aware that your hearing is how you determine where a sound is coming from. We call this ability ‘sound localization’ and it is dependent upon binaural hearing, which means both ears. When we hear sound, our brain compares the difference in volumes from one sound to another to pinpoint the location that the sound is coming from.
If you have ever stopped or moved out of the way because of a horn honking, stepped off the path when a cyclist rang their bell or played Marco Polo in a pool, you relied on sound localization. If you have had healthy or normal levels of hearing all of your life, trying to live safely without this ability is risky. It’s difficult to untrain yourself to rely on a largely unconscious strategy.
Using hearing aids in both ears with hearing loss help us to retain sound localization. Beyond improving your pool games and saving your life, we use this ability in more subtle ways to orient ourselves in our homes and out in the world. Accidents and falls are less likely to happen when you can continue to rely on your binaural hearing.
The benefits in minimizing background noise
Choosing to use two hearing aids can also help to minimize the challenge of background noise. Again, our brains use the information gathered by both ears in order to better filter out what is background noise versus what we want to hear.
In addition to our brain’s preference, hearing aids often have programs to minimize background noise which are only operable if two hearing aids are worn.
More brain power
When our hearing starts to go, our brain receives less sound information and it can begin to reorganize itself to accommodate this new reality. This is one theory as to why hearing loss and dementia are so strongly linked. When two hearing aids are worn, it increases the amount of additional sound information provided to the brain, decreasing the risk of dementia and other cognitive disorders.
Lower volumes and less effort
A pair of hearing aids allows the wearer to use a lower volume than with just one hearing aid. This can make the transition to hearing aids go a bit smoother, as the lion’s share is of difference is spread between two ears. Additionally, wearing two hearing aids can lessen the listening effort needed from the wearer. After all, isn’t the end goal of hearing aids an improved and easier listening experience? It just makes sense to choose a path that gets you closer to your desired outcome.
When should you only buy one hearing aid?
There are situations in which only one hearing aid is necessary. Sometimes, hearing loss is only present in one ear and with normal hearing in the other ear. There is no point in treating an ear without any hearing loss. People who have hearing loss in only one ear with healthy hearing in the other ear may have been involved in an accident where only one ear was damaged. Or, perhaps their occupation put them in a scenario in which just one ear was exposed to dangerously loud noise. For instance, a bartender who constantly shakes their cocktails over the left shoulder for the thirty years of their career might have healthy hearing in their right ear and noise-induced hearing loss on the left.
Schedule a hearing consultation
If you think hearing aids would make your life easier, schedule a hearing consultation today. Our team will guide you through a hearing exam where we can determine whether you are a good candidate for intervention. Together, we’ll get you on the path to your best possible hearing.