Do I Need One or Two Hearing Aids
Do I need one, or two hearing aids? If only it was as simple as choosing to have one of two cups of tea when it comes to choosing to have one of two hearing aids. It is generally common that if you have a hearing loss then it will be present in both ears. However having a hearing loss in both ears doesn't always mean that having two hearing aids is best, we look at the reasons why.
Wearing One Hearing Aid
Having one hearing aid issued when you have been diagnosed with a hearing loss is actually quite common. The reason for this is a lot to do with aclimitisation. It can take time, positivity and perservance to get past the first stage of wearing a hearing aid. Therefore making the challenge doubly hard by making the change from wearing no hearing aids to two hearing aids can be very daunting.
Getting Used To One Hearing Aid
Having one hearing aid allows you to try out the feeling and sounds of having a hearing aid in your ear while still being able to hear your normal natural sound in the other ear. It means that your not just hearing mostly artificial sounds which will happen with two hearing aids. One hearing also makes your overall experience of hearing feel less blocked up and this therefore increases your ability to hear your own voice louder.
There may also be times were you have a hearing loss in both ears however one ear just cannot take wearing a hearing aid. It might be that you get regular outer ear infections or a collapsed ear canal, meaning that only one hearing aid can be used.
Problems With One Hearing Aid
One of the major downsides of wearing one hearing aid is that is has to do the work for both ears. Directionality of sound is much poorer and many sounds you should hear for example in your right ear will be picked up into your left ear due to this being the ear that wears a hearing aid. Your ability to filter out background noise is also much harder as its much more difficult for your brain to process the sounds around you when two ears are telling you slightly different things.
Having one hearing aid can work very well as the first starting block to your hearing aid journey. Getting used to wearing a hearing aid, putting it in and out and getting more comfortable with what a hearing aid is all about. This does not prevent you from then going on to wearing two hearing aids when you feel ready to do so.
Summary of the pros and cons of wearing one hearing aid:
Pros:
- It is easier to manage
- One ear still has natural sound input
- Your ears will feel less blocked
- You will hear your own voice less
- One ear has an ear condition such as a re-occuring ear infection.
- Provies you with the option to transition to two hearing aids if you like the experience
- Unable to use arm/hand on one side
Cons:
- Puts strain on one ear to do the job for two ears
- Directionality is poor
- Difficulty filtering out background noise
Wearing Two Hearing Aids
We have two ears for a reason and having two hearing aids will not fully provide you the same experience as having two ears but it will do a very good job at it. Two hearing aids means that you will be able to hear sound from all angles and sides. You will also be able to filter out background noise and hear speech in background noise easier due to better processing ability. This does still come down to how much you have worn and are comfortable with your hearing aids as well.
The ability to hear better all around you means you will struggle less overall in conversations in groups and meetings making social situations less stressful and tiring. If you have a mild hearing loss it can seem as though one hearing aid would be enough to help you hear in the situations you need, however it is those with mild hearing loss that can often struggle in background noise situations more than general conversations which two hearing aids will help with.
You may also experience whistling or feedback from the hearing aid less with two hearing aids and this is down to one hearing aid on its own needing to be a little louder to compensate for helping both ears. Two hearing aids at a slightly quieter levels makes for less power to create feedback or whistling.
Two Hearing Aids To Help With Tinnitus
Hearing aids are also now known to help mask the appearance of tinnitus and therefore having a hearing aid in both means there is a greater chance of masking the overall sound of your tinnitus. What is important is when to try out two hearing aids, going straight to wearing two hearing aids can very overwhelming at first. Getting used to putting a hearing aid in the left ear and the right ear. Depending on the type of hearing aids you where you may feel your ears become full with both hearing aids in and the sound you hear all around you is artificial. This over time will get a lot easier as you adjust to the benefits gained from having hearing aids.
Summary of pros and cons for two hearing aids:
Pros:
- Improved ability to hear speech in background noise
- Ability to filter out background nosie
- Reduced appearance of tinnitus
- Reduced potential for hearing aid whistling
- Less tiring in conversation
- Ability to hear all around you
- Beneficial for all hearing levels
Cons:
- All sound you hear is now artificial
- Takes more time to adjust