When you think about hearing aids, intimacy probably isn’t the first thing you consider. We understand. These tiny devices are normally advertised in very concrete terms. Love, conversely, is something better suited for poetry, music, and art.
But you may want to start looking at your hearing aid as an intimacy device because of the strong connection between your hearing and your relationship. After all, when doctors, researchers, and hearing specialists talk about “social isolation due to hearing loss,” they’re also referencing isolation from your partner. Which means it isn’t just talking with the cashier at the supermarket that becomes more difficult, it’s also maintaining your most important and intimate relationships.
That’s not to say somebody suffering from hearing loss isn’t capable of forming deep bonds or of experiencing beautiful, lasting relationships. But it will be necessary to put in place some practiced adaptations and take some special care. If you’ve been losing your hearing slowly and over time, you most likely haven’t matured those extra skills, as a result, your relationships could suffer.
By the same token, something as obvious as a hearing aid can quickly and easily improve these significant relationships and make true intimacy easier. Here are just a few ways that hearing aids might have a positive influence on your love life.
Improved communication
It’s well known that strong communication skills are at the root of a healthy relationship. Taking the time to communicate can help eliminate arguments, improve emotional connections, and make everyone feel more respected and appreciated.
But hearing loss can compound normal communication roadblocks in the process making a difficult task much more difficult.
A hearing aid will help most quickly in the following ways:
- Your boosted energy levels will make it simpler to communicate.When you experience hearing loss, speaking and listening can take a lot of energy, leaving you feeling exhausted. With a hearing aid, chatting can be fun and energizing once again.
- You’ll catch more of those quieter, whispered moments. To put it directly, there’s no shouting in pillow talk. You and your partner will enjoy those hushed quiet experiences with hearing aids.
You won’t need to use your partner as a translator
Going out with a group of friends won’t be all that enjoyable when your partner spends most of their time repeating everyone for your benefit. But if you are unable to hear what’s happening all night, that won’t be very fun either. It’s easy to see how this arrangement could breed resentment.
A hearing aid can help protect your independence. You won’t rely on your partner to order food for you at a restaurant or repeat what everyone is saying at a dinner party. Additionally, it will be easier to continue going out and socializing on your own! This means you’ll have adventures and stories that you can bring home to your partner, enriching your relationship in the process.
You’ll be more receptive to your partner’s needs
Your partner’s daily life will be so much easier in so many ways if you’re able to hear more. Perhaps, thanks to your hearing aids, you hear the timer go off and jump in to help with dinner. Or maybe you ask your partner if they’re ok when you hear them stumble on the floor. You will have the chance to ask your partner what’s wrong if you hear them grumble under their breath.
All of this may not sound like much of a big deal. But added together, these little gestures demonstrate your commitment and compassion. They demonstrate your level of care. And that will make you a good partner. A hearing aid makes that much easier to achieve because you’ll pick up on those sometimes subtle audio cues.
You won’t miss the power of a whisper
When you suffer from hearing loss, particularly when you haven’t noticed your symptoms, it might be difficult to recognize that you’ve stopped hearing those breathy whispers shared during intimate occasions. And part of the pleasure of being intimate, let’s be honest, is those subtle, quiet occasions. A hearing aid will let you enjoy the power of a whisper again. This means that your experience of partnership will be that much more profound.
Helping Your Relationship
To be sure, a hearing aid won’t fix every issue in your relationship. And if you do have hearing loss, you can still have intimacy. The point here is that a hearing aid will make certain aspects of your love life more pleasurable and more enriching.
So if your relationship is a little… dicey… and you’re struggling to find a cause, it may be that your hearing loss is inhibiting your connections. Schedule an appointment with us, a hearing aid could return welcome intimacy to your love life.