When you think about hearing aids, intimacy most likely isn’t the first thing you consider. We get it. These tiny devices are normally presented in very concrete terms. Less defined expressions such as poetry, music, and art are more suited to the topic of love.
But you might want to start viewing your hearing aid as an intimacy device due to the strong connection between your hearing and your relationship. After all, when doctors, researchers, and hearing specialists discuss “social isolation due to hearing loss,” they’re also pointing to isolation from your partner. That means maintaining intimate relationships will be just as difficult as attempting to communicate with the clerk at the supermarket.
That’s not to say someone suffering from hearing loss isn’t capable of forming deep bonds or of experiencing beautiful, enduring relationships. But it will be necessary to make some practiced adjustments and take some special care. If you’ve been losing your hearing slowly and over time, you likely haven’t developed those extra skills, subsequently, your relationships could suffer.
By the same token, something as simple as a hearing aid can quickly and easily enhance these important relationships and make true intimacy more possible. Hearing aids can have a positive impact on your love life in the following ways.
Improved communication
It’s well recognized that good communication skills are at the core of a healthy relationship. Taking the time to communicate can help avoid arguments, enhance emotional connections, and make everyone feel more valued and appreciated.
But the challenge becomes even more evident with hearing loss which can severely interfere with normal communication.
A hearing aid will help most quickly in the following ways:
- You’ll have more vitality for communication.Hearing loss can leave you fatigued from struggling to communicate. Conversations can once again be enjoyable and invigorating.
- You’ll catch more of those softer, whispered moments. To put it bluntly, there’s no shouting in pillow talk. You and your partner will enjoy those hushed quiet moments with hearing aids.
Your partner won’t have to be your translator
If your partner has to repeat everything people are saying, it doesn’t make for a really romantic night. Likewise, you won’t have much fun if you can’t hear anything that’s happening all night. It’s not difficult to imagine the kind of resentment this might cause.
Your independence can be preserved by using hearing aids. Your partner won’t need to order your food at a restaurant or be your translator when you’re at a dinner party. Additionally, it will be easier to continue socializing on your own! This means you’ll have adventures and stories that you can bring back to your partner, enriching your relationship in the process.
Your partner’s needs will be more accessible to you
Your partner’s life will be so much easier in so many ways if you’re able to hear clearly. Perhaps you jump in and help with dinner because your hearing aids permitted you to hear the cook timer ring. Or maybe you ask your partner if they’re ok when you hear them stumble on the floor. When you hear your partner grumbling under their breath, you have a chance to ask what’s the matter.
All of this may not sound like much of a big deal. But these little gestures, taken together, will show your partner that you are compassionate and committed. They show you care. And that will make you a good partner. You will have a much easier time achieving this with hearing aids which will help you pick up on more subtle audio cues.
You won’t miss the power of a whisper
You may have a tough time hearing those breathy whispers shared during romantic moments when you have hearing loss, particularly if it has developed so gradually you didn’t even detect it. And part of the fun of being intimate, let’s be honest, is those subtle, hushed occasions. A hearing aid will let you experience the power of a whisper again. This means that your experience of partnership will be that much more profound.
Helping Your Relationship
Every issue in your relationship won’t be fixed with a hearing aid, obviously. Nor is it impossible to experience intimacy with hearing loss. Hearing aids will make certain elements of your love life more pleasurable and enriching and that’s the main point here.
So if your relationship is a little… dicey… and you’re scrambling to find a cause, it may be that your hearing loss is getting in the way of your connections. A hearing aid can return needed romance to your relationship so schedule an appointment right away.