Hearing aids, like lots of other devices, are getting smarter, more inconspicuous and more stylish all the time, and just in time. The U.S. census reports that the average American is older as the population as a whole continues to age, and unfortunately, hearing loss, especially in older people, is very common. Roughly 37.5 million adults in America say they have some hearing loss, and these numbers are increasing.
Luckily more possibilities for dealing with hearing loss are available because of amazing developments in recent hearing technology. Here are just a few of the enhancements that are now available.
Your Overall Health Can be Tracked by Your Hearing Aids
Did you know that hearing aids can track several important vital signs as well or better than a fitness tracker? Not only can it track the time between heartbeats to help detect potential cardiovascular concerns, but it also monitors calories burned, heart rate, step count, and the total number of steps taken. They are even working on technology that can determine blood pressure, oxygenation of the blood and other significant vital signs. There are other potential benefits that come with hearing aids, including the ability to help drown out tinnitus and will enhance your social life by bettering your overall hearing. Actually, social interaction has been connected to your general health also, so actually it’s another health statistic we should be looking at. Since hearing aids can now also sync with your smartphone so you can listen to your songs, who needs a smartwatch or fitness device?
Streaming Made Simpler And More Intelligent
Being connected to your virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa is becoming more important as people get more addicted to these features. Even if talking to these assistants is not your thing, Bluetooth hearing aids provide key features including streaming music directly from a smart device like your phone or even streaming directly from your smart TV. Consider the advantages of this: You can avoid getting yelled at for having the Volume too loud while watching this year’s Super Bowl in a room full of loud friends. The ability to directly stream music, phone calls, shows and more right to your ears not only helps you hear and appreciate them more, but it will also help you manage your hearing loss inconspicuously.
Automatic Adjustments
Ever notice how Goodreads seems to know what type of book you’d like to read? Or how all your favorite kinds of items get advertised to you by Amazon? That’s because big data and artificial intelligence are very powerful. Modern hearing aids can also make changes automatically based on your responses in the past. As an example, if you lowered the volume the last time you visited the train station, your hearing aid will remember that and turn itself down the next time you visit the train station. They are also starting to network your hearing aids with other devices belonging to people near you in order to inform you of a potential loud noise danger nearby. Over time you can adjust quickly to changes in the hearing environment because your hearing aid will make suggestions based on all the information it has collected.
No More Tiny Batteries to Replace.
Who wants to constantly struggle with hearing aid batteries? You can now get rechargeable hearing aids. While you can do a lot to help increase the life of your hearing aids’ batteries, let’s be honest…it’s still expensive and annoying. Better yet, they are developing technology that will recharge hearing aids without even having to take them out.
