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Two hearing aids DO provide significant hearing improvments when compared with wearing only one. Scientific research as well as individual confirms that most people with a hearing loss in both ears would benefit from having two hearing instruments. The reasons for this are detailed below:
1. Keeps Both Ears Active, Resulting in Less Hearing Deterioration.
When only one hearing aid is worn, the unaided ear tends to lose its ability to hear and understand. This is due to auditory deprivation. People who wear two hearing aids keep both ears active.
To help understand this, imagine you were in a car accident and your leg muscle was damaged. Without proper therapy and muscle activity, your leg would continue to weaken and functionality would decrease. However, routine physical therapy can strengthen the muscle, helping to improve the overall strength. The muscle may never return to 100% strength, however, with proper therapy, further muscle atrophy can be diminshed. Hearing sounds through hearing aids is like physical therapy for the auditory system.
2. Better Understanding of Speech
Wearing two allows your brain to focus on conversation you want to hear, therefore helping you with selective listening. Research shows that people wearing two hearing aids routinely understand speech and conversation significantly better than people wearing only one. With just one hearing aid, many noises and words sound alike. But with two units, as with two ears, sounds are more distinguishable.
3. Better Understanding in Group and Noisy Situations
When you wear two hearing devices, both the left and right ears are picking up similar sounds, and the brain can better filter out background noises, improving hearing in difficult listening situations.
4. Better Ability to Tell Direction of Sounds (Localization)
Localization allows you to hear from which direction someone is speaking to you, or hear which direction a car or siren is coming. The brain needs cues from both ears to properly interpret localization cues in the environment.
5. Better Sound Quality
Listening in "stereo" allows for the smoothest, sharpest, most natural sound quality. When you wear two, your hearing range is 360 degrees, versus only 180 degrees with one. This provides a better sense of balance and sound quality.
6. Less Distortion and Feedback (Whistling).
Wearing two aids generally means less volume is needed in each instrument. This results in less distortion and better reproduction of sounds. With lower volume setting, chances of feedback is reduced.
7. Wider Hearing Range
A true fact: a person can hear sounds from a further distance with two ears, rather than just one. A voice that is barely heard at 10 feet with one can be heard up to forty feet with two ears.
8. Hearing is Less Tiring and Listening More Pleasant
Listening and participating in conversation is more enjoyable with two instruments because you don't have to strain to hear with the better ear (less neurologically taxing).
9. Tinnitus Masking
Approximately 50% of people with ringing (tinnitus) in their ears report improvement when wearing hearing aids. The sounds from the hearing aid "mask" the ringing. Therefore, maximum reduction of ringing would be with two hearing aids.
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