Why Two Hearing Aids Are Better Than One

Why Two Hearing Aids Are Better Than One

In Hearing Aids by Dr. Maya Berenson, AuD

Dr. Maya Berenson, AuD
Latest posts by Dr. Maya Berenson, AuD (see all)

If you suffer from hearing loss, you may be advised to wear hearing aids. In many cases, hearing is better in one ear than the other, but audiologists will almost always recommend wearing hearing aids in both ears. Here are some of the reasons why wearing two hearing aids is better than one.

Conditioning Your Ears

Your ears aren’t muscles, but there’s an argument that if you don’t use your ability to hear, you lose it to a certain extent. If you’ve got one hearing aid, you’ll be able to hear in one ear, but not the other, and your hearing in that ear can suffer. Using two devices plays a conditioning role, as well as enabling you to hear better. When you’ve got two hearing aids, known as binaural hearing aids, this helps to ensure that the auditory system remains stimulated. If your ear is deprived of sound, the pathways that are used to detect and transmit sounds become less effective, and subsequently, your brain struggles to process and decode noises. Research, which was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, revealed that people with two hearing aids were much better at recognizing words than those with a single device.

Clarifying Sounds

Many people choose to see their audiologist because they’re struggling to hear sounds clearly. Even when you can still hear a noise, that fact that it is muffled or stifled can be very frustrating. Hearing aids are beneficial not solely because they amplify sound, but also because they clarify it. Wearing two hearing aids, rather than one, makes sounds clearer and enables people to better follow conversations. As this is one of the main stumbling blocks for those who suffer from hearing loss, being able to converse with others and to feel more confident in professional or social settings is a huge advantage.

Increasing The Intensity Of Sound

When you find it difficult to hear, using hearing aids can increase the volume and intensity of sound. With two hearing aids, the intensity is greater than when hearing sounds in a single ear. When the ears are exposed to a stimulus, they respond better as a pair, and as a result, people who have two hearing aids are more likely to enjoy better results than those with just one aid. Research also suggests that using a pair of hearing aids improves the ability to distinguish between frequencies, even when you’re in a noisy environment.

If you display signs of hearing loss, your audiologist may recommend wearing hearing aids. If both of your ears are affected, it’s logical to use a device in each ear, but this is often the case for those who have better hearing in one ear too. Using two hearing aids improves the ability to hear clearly, engage in conversation and process sounds effectively. When you have your hearing assessed, your audiologist will explain the results to you and talk to you about how hearing aids work and what kinds of benefits they offer. If you choose to have hearing aids, you will be shown how to use them, and hopefully, you’ll find that they have an incredible impact on your daily life.