When you think about hearing aids, intimacy most likely isn’t the first thing you think about. We get it. The advertising on these little devices is rather straightforward. Love, conversely, is something better suited for poetry, music, and art.
But you might want to begin looking at your hearing aid as an intimacy device due to the strong connection between your hearing and your relationship. After all, the social isolation that comes from neglected hearing loss can also mean isolation from your partner. Which means it’s not just chatting with the cashier at the grocery store that becomes more challenging, it’s also maintaining your most significant and intimate relationships.
Hearing loss doesn’t inevitably mean you can’t enjoy beautiful relationships and deep emotional bonds. But it will be necessary to make some practiced adaptations and take some special care. If you’ve been losing your hearing slowly and over time, you likely haven’t matured those additional skills, as a result, your relationships could suffer.
True intimacy, though, and enhanced personal relationships can come from something as simple as wearing a hearing aid. Hearing aids can have a positive affect on your love life in the following ways.
Improved communication
Obviously, healthy relationships need good communication (though, it is sometimes harder to practice than it is to preach). Taking the time to communicate can help avoid arguments, increase emotional connections, and make everyone feel more valued and appreciated.
But the challenge becomes even more pronounced with hearing loss which can significantly interfere with normal communication.
A hearing aid will help most rapidly in the following ways:
- Your boosted energy levels will make it easier to communicate.When you experience hearing loss, speaking and listening can take a lot of energy, leaving you feeling depleted. With a hearing aid, conversing can be fun and energizing once more.
- The quieter, whispered moments won’t get lost. To put it bluntly, there’s no shouting in pillow talk. A hearing aid will let you enjoy more of those quiet, hushed moments between you and your partner.
Your partner won’t have to be your translator
Going out with friends won’t be all that enjoyable when your partner spends most of their time repeating everybody for your benefit. Likewise, you won’t have much fun if you’re unable to hear anything that’s going on all night. It’s not hard to imagine the kind of resentment this could cause.
A hearing aid can help protect your independence. You won’t rely on your partner to order for you at a restaurant or translate what everyone is saying at a dinner party. And going out alone to socialize will also be easier. You will be able to enrich your relationship by bringing home stories and adventures to share.
You’ll be more receptive to your partner’s needs
There are many ways that hearing more could help make your partner’s life a bit easier. Perhaps you jump up and help with dinner because your hearing aids permitted you to hear the cook timer ring. Or maybe you hear your partner scuffle on the floor and ask if they’re alright. When you hear your partner complaining under their breath, you have a chance to ask what’s bothering them.
All of this may not sound like much of a big deal. But these little gestures, taken together, will demonstrate to your partner that you are compassionate and committed. They show you care. And that will make you a quality partner. A hearing aid makes that much easier to achieve because you’ll recognize those sometimes subtle audio cues.
You won’t miss the power of a whisper
You may have a difficult time hearing those breathy whispers shared during intimate moments when you have hearing loss, especially if it has developed so gradually you didn’t even detect it. And let’s be honest, those hushed sounds are part of the fun of romance. You will once more be able to experience the power of a whisper. This means that your experience of partnership will be that much more profound.
Helping Your Relationship
To be sure, a hearing aid isn’t going to fix every issue in your relationship. Nor is it impossible to have romance with hearing loss. 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 trying 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 as soon as possible.
