Hearing

Only one in five people who would benefit from a hearing aid uses one, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America. Cost, confusion about and access to hearing care, and gradual hearing loss going unrecognized are all reasons for this underutilization. Vanity also plays a role, though hearing aids continue to become smaller and sleeker.

``Having hearing loss is like you're backing out 10 feet from a conversation,`` says John Coverstone, an audiologist in New Brighton, Minnesota, and host of the AudiologyTalk podcast. ``People feel more isolated,`` he says.

Studies link trouble hearing with serious health consequences. Untreated hearing loss increases your risk of anxiety, depression, social isolation, falls and cognitive decline, research shows.

Proper hearing aids can greatly improve hearing and, consequently, health, studies find. For example, wearing hearing aids appears to reduce the ``excess risk`` of dementia from hearing loss, according to a 2020 report in The Lanceta.

A great hearing aid fit hinges on three things:

Your type of hearing loss. Many people lose hearing in the high frequencies first. Others have difficulty across all frequencies. Hearing tests measure sensitivity, or how loud a sound has to be to be heard, and clarity, or how well someone can understand speech. Often, you'll also get a ``speech in noise`` test. These results create a sound prescription for the best hearing aid for you.

Your lifestyle. Do you work? Do you love dining in restaurants? Do you listen to podcasts? Your lifestyle suggests which features, such as Bluetooth connectivity, are important. Also, certain hearing aid styles, such as behind- the-ear or completely-in-the-canal are better or worse for certain situations.

Your dexterity. If you have trouble manipulating batteries, a rechargeable hearing aid is often recommended.