Can hearing aids improve your love life?

There is a definite connection between your hearing health and the health of your romance. It’s a simple truth that love blooms when it’s fed by all the senses, including hearing. Soft, whispered words, subtle cues in the tone of a conversation — for most of us, these are the sparks that kindle the flame. But just as important as romantic ambiance is the understanding that forms a relationship. Marriage counselors are in widespread agreement that healthy relationships thrive more on healthy communication than any other factor.

And with most of us, communication is where hearing really comes in.

If you’re one of the tens of millions of Americans suffering from untreated hearing loss, it’s possible that you literally don’t know what you’re missing.

In long-term relationships, the fatigue and constant effort of straining to hear can be the enemy of intimacy.

The gradual nature of hearing loss dulls both your ability to pick up on the soft whispers and to understand what’s being said. The process is so gradual that you may not know that it’s happened. It’s not going to put you in the mood.

And it makes you tired. With hearing loss, it takes more work to follow a conversation, even in an intimate restaurant or social gathering. Straining to hear is literally a strain that can physically wear you out.

The Great Isolator

In long-term relationships, the fatigue and constant effort of straining to hear can be the enemy of intimacy. The partner with hearing loss withdraws bit by bit from the daily flow of information that keeps a relationship strong. The other partner, thrust into a caregiver role, finds the situation frustrating. Things can become especially stressful when the hearing loss is undiagnosed and unacknowledged and becomes a he-said/she-said issue. Arguing daily with your partner about whether you can hear or not is about as far from red wine, soft music, and a foot rub as life can get.

Getting back to “yes.”

It’s easy to find out whether your hearing is getting in the way of a healthy and loving relationship. A hearing care professional can test you and fit you with hearing aids that can bring back the subtleties and nuances that make life sweet. Today’s hearing technology delivers all the power and sophistication you need to connect and understand in discreet, sleek designs that won’t cramp your style.

And it works. Study after study by scientific researchers from Australia to Europe and the U.S. shows that better hearing improves marriages, relationships, family life, and (yes, they actually went there) sex.