Two Ears are better than one

It’s a logical thought, but often people don't realise that hearing loss can affect both ears to a similar degree. This is called bilateral hearing loss. With age and noise exposure being the most common cause of hearing loss, it's reasonable to expect that both your ears will be affected in the same way. At Hidden Hearing we believe that in many cases, using two hearing devices together can be a huge advantage for many of our customers, and our hearing aid dispensers will be able to demonstrate the difference between using one and two aids using headphones, or during your trial fitting. Nature gave us two ears after all, and we think it's better that way!

Your local Hidden Hearing specialists will be able to explain why two hearing aids might be the best solution for your individual needs, but as an overview, here are ten reasons why two devices are better than one.

1. Better understanding of speech
Research has shown that when using just one hearing device, some noises and speech can sound alike and create confusion. With two devices, many clients report that the clarity of their hearing when listening to speech is far better than with just one.

2. Better understanding in a group/noisy situations
We've all been in a situation where it's hard to decipher someone's speech due to excessive background noise. We call this selective hearing, and research has shown that wearing two hearing devices rather than one, can help our clients focus on the conversation, rather than trying to hear it.

3. Directional ability
With two devices, customers often find that they are able to more accurately tell which direction sounds are coming from, and even how far away they might be. An important safety aspect, this is a great advantage to users who are routinely in environments with lots of traffic, for instance, or where several people are talking at once.

4. Better sound quality
When did you last buy a stereo with one speaker? It's the same principle with hearing aids – a dual speaker system will afford the listener sharper, smoother and more natural sound quality, and also improve reception and provide a better balance of sound.
 
5. Greater listening comfort
With two hearing devices working in unison, our clients are able to use a lower volume setting on their hearing aids, leading to better comfort levels and reducing the chances of feedback.

6. A more enjoyable listen
Wearing two hearing aids it often reported to make listening and taking part in conversations a more enjoyable and less stressful experience. With balanced sound through both ears – the way nature intended – many of our clients find that not having to strain with the better ear makes for a far more relaxed life.

7. Preserving speech understanding
It's a complicated machine the human body, and research has shown that wearing a hearing aid in one ear can begin to degrade the ability of the other. The auditory deprivation effect, as it’s known, can be avoided by keeping both ears uniformly active with two hearing aids.

8. Tinnitus masking
Many of us will experience tinnitus at some point in our lives, and it affects different people in different ways. Around half of those suffering from tinnitus say that the ringing in their ears feels better with a hearing device and, naturally, if wearing only one, tinnitus will still be audiable in the other.

9. Preference
At Hidden Hearing we're all about choice, and our customers can only make an informed decision when they have all the facts. The overwhelming majority of users with hearing loss in both ears go on to select dual devices, indicating that the improvement of the hearing experience is considerable.

10. Satisfaction
You can't argue with research, and a study with more than 5,000 hearing device users suffering from hearing loss in both ears, demonstrated that those using two devices are more satisfied with the quality of hearing, than those using only one.

If you would like to book a consultation at your nearest Hidden Hearing branch, you can contact us via the website or call 0800 740 8706.