We all love a good bargain. But you need to be careful and be aware of little details when it comes to your health.

The terms “hearing aid” and “hearing amplifier” might seem similar but they are actually completely different devices. And your overall hearing and health could suffer major repercussions if you make the wrong decision about this.

What is a hearing amplifier?

A hearing amplifier is a small device that, when put in your ear, increases the volume of the sounds around you. Technically classified as personal sound amplification products by the government, these gadgets tend to be quite simple and one-dimensional. The volume of the world is basically cranked up.

Because of their one-size-fits-all strategy, hearing amplifiers aren’t recommended for people who have moderate to significant hearing loss.

Clear difference between hearing aids and personal amplifiers

Once people learn that hearing amplifiers are not suggested for people with even moderate hearing loss, the differences between the two devices start to become pretty plain. Hearing aids, obviously, are encouraged for individuals who suffer from hearing loss.

Both types of devices can raise the volume of outside sound. But one of these devices has a much higher level of amplification technology and sophistication.

• Whatever environment you find yourself, your hearing aids can tune in to it. There are a number of variables that will impact the exact acoustics of a space. Some hearing aids can fine tune to these changes automatically. A dedicated device or smartphone can calibrate hearing aids that don’t do it automatically. By making minute adjustments to the settings of your hearing aid, you’re able to hear better in a wider variety of environments, meaning there will be fewer locations you wish to avoid.
• Hearing aids are specifically manufactured to help you understand speech. Because communication is so essential in our lives and also because of the uneven way hearing loss develops, this is an essential function. As a result, hearing aid manufacturers have invested enormous resources into improving the clarity of speech above all else. In order to make sure voices can be heard clearly even in a noisy room, advanced technology and algorithms are bundled inside of modern hearing aids.
• With hearing aids, only specific wavelengths of sound are amplified. Because hearing loss often advances wavelength by wavelength. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds commonly vanish first. Rather than making everything louder, hearing aids work to plug holes in what you’re hearing. For people who have hearing loss, this selective approach is more effective.

Simply put, these capabilities are crucial elements of correctly treating hearing loss. Usually, personal amplifiers don’t have these features.

Finding the best solution at an affordable price

Along with a decreased ability to hear, neglected hearing loss can also lead to mental decline. With amplifiers, you’re very likely to do more damage to your hearing as the device doesn’t distinguish frequencies and will most likely turn everything up to unsafe volumes. And that’s not good for anyone.

Currently, the only recommended treatments for hearing loss, if it’s not a result of earwax, are some surgeries and hearing aids. Neglecting hearing loss and bypassing treatment doesn’t save you money in the long run. Neglected hearing loss has been shown to increase your overall healthcare costs over 40%. The good news is, there are budget friendly solutions. Just ask us.

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References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077