Let us talk for a moment about the importance of wearing your hearing instruments during this COVID 19 pandemic. Is it really all that important? After all; you are mostly just staying at home and not talking to many people... Why waste the batteries? Yes, I have been asked these things several times in just the last few days.

it is VERY important to wear your hearing instruments and keep your brain kicking! Don’t let your brain get ‘sick.’ The hearing instruments that our patients wear are actually a tiny little computer. As with all computers; therefore, they store data. What kind of data? Well, important information as the type and intensity of speech signals that you are receiving, processor activity and wearing or usage time. One of the things that I have been noticing in the “data log” with many patients is that their wearing times of their beloved instruments has been decreasing. Some patients have reduced their wearing time to just a couple of hours a day when they watch tv. This is NOT good.  

First of all; your brain will get lazy and revert back to the old ways of “being in a fog.”  Not hearing properly will leave you tired at the end of the day and possible somewhat depressed. You hear because of sound pressure.  There is ALWAYS a sound wave bouncing off the walls and ceilings. This wave causes your hearing hair cells to react and send stimulus to your brain. Your brain and body will then respond to the sound pressure. If you have a hearing loss and do not have your hearing instruments in your ears; then, all of your hearing hairs are not ‘firing’ to the brain. Thus, your brain does into auditory deprivation. Again... NOT good! Remember, you don’t use it you lose it!  

If it is quiet around your house... put in your hearing instruments and turn on some music in the background. Go to YouTube™ on your computer, tablet or phone and search some topics. Literally, anything you can think of will probably have some type of quick video on the subject. If you have never been on it then give it a try. It’s a great site for how to fix something or investigate a product you might be thinking about purchasing. You can go to our YouTube™ page:  “Lampe & Kiefer Hearing Aid Center”  and watch video’s about hearing aids and hearing.  We have about 20 or so video’s to help educate the community. If you have Bluetooth compatible hearing instruments, then you can stream the audio directly into your hearing instruments. Whatever you are interested in... please put your hearing instruments in and keep your brain sharp and healthy. To Hear Better Is To Live Better!!