Did You Know?
- Tylenol and other pain killers can cause hearing loss if you take more than 2 pills a week for several weeks. 
- Adults with a hearing loss (and no hearing aids) are more likely to develop problems thinking & remembering. 
- When you smoke, you are four times more likely to get hearing loss from noise. 
- Adults with a mild hearing loss (and no hearing aids) are two times more likely to develop dementia. 
- Kissing directly on the ear can cause permanent hearing loss. 
- Waiting until you “really need hearing aids” may result in poorer speech clarity when you do get hearing aids. 
- Untreated sleep apnea puts you at 31% to 90% risk of hearing loss. Untreated sleep apnea has been known to lead to dementia 
- Medicare and Medicare supplements DO NOT cover hearing aids or related things (testing). 
- The most common cause of hearing loss is smoking. This includes second-hand smoke. 
- Speech testing during the hearing test demonstrates the patient’s potential speech clarity with good hearing aids. 
- Those with diabetes are twice as likely to develop a hearing loss. 
- If you have oily skin, consider water resistant hearing aids for fewer repair problems. 
- Those with rheumatoid arthritis are at significant risk of developing a hearing loss. 
- In-the-ear hearing aids will make your voice echo and need to be repaired more often. Behind-the-ear hearing aids are clearer sounding and need fewer repairs. 
- If you have a moderately-severe or worse hearing loss, don’t get hearing aids that are too small, or you will not hear clearly. 
- For better hearing in background noise with hearing aids, the brain usually has to relearn how to separate out sounds. - How would the hearing aids know which person in a group to listen to? It is the brain that does this. Practice improves group listening. 
 
- Usually new hearing aids are programmed to a soft level when they are dispensed. Otherwise all the new sounds would be too much. 
- Hearing aids that do not block the ear canals cannot stop background noise from getting into your ear. 
- Storing your hearing aids in a hearing aid drier every night cause the hearing aids to work better and last longer. 
- When you are being dispensed hearing aids request real ear testing with speech while the hearing aids are in your ears. 
- Hearing aid batteries will last longer when you cover the battery air holes with scotch tape at night. (Then wait 3 minutes before closing the battery door in the morning). 
- Different programs can be programmed in hearing aids for different listening situations. 
- Advanced hearing aids reduce background noises, are more automatic, and are clearer sounding than basic hearing aids. 
- Mowing the lawn is a common cause of hearing loss by noise in Iowa. Earplugs do not protect your ears from the noise that travels through the bone. Earmuffs are much better. 
- The ringing in your ears does not cause your hearing problems. Your hearing loss is causing the ringing. Improve your hearing and the ringing may disappear. 
