February is a month of celebration and love, and we tend to focus on one of our most important relationships: our spouse or partner. Also, it’s a good excuse to eat chocolate, go on nice dates, and have candlelight dinners.
We know that romantic partnerships can sometimes be complicated. Loving isn't the only emotion involved, and relationships can take a lot of work. Why is it that we can sometimes feel frustrated or misunderstood by the very same people we love so much? How can we care so genuinely about someone, but also feel confused or distant from them at times?
While here at Hart Hearing and Balance, we don't have all the answers, we know one thing for sure: hearing loss can significantly impact the quality of our relationship with your partner. A 2009 British study revealed that 44 percent of the 1,500 people surveyed with hearing loss reported having lost connections with their partner, friends, or family due to their hearing loss. And 34 percent said the communication breakdown had caused damage to relationships, including marriages.
How miscommunication can be fatal for your relationship
Hearing loss can affect your relationships in one or all of the following ways:
A reduction in quality communication.
An increase in arguments.
A drop in the willingness of partners to enjoy their time together.
The other person without loss of hearing starts resenting their partner.
A spike in isolation.
The person with hearing loss will socially withdraw.
A decline in intimate conversation and casual laughter.
Ann Brenoff explains the effect of hearing loss on her relationship with her late husband in a recent HuffPost article: "My recently deceased husband wears hearing aids in both ears…. they likely saved our marriage." She goes on to explain what it was like to be married to someone who couldn't hear well and refused to seek help: speech deteriorated, contact consisted of yelling, parties were no longer fun, the television volume became a significant source of discord. In these situations, many seemingly small things swiftly add up, creating a wall in a previously harmonious relationship.
Any relationship, without communication, will break down. Ideas, desires, and beliefs sustain the connection between two people, and if this exchange starts to disappear, the relationship itself may have trouble surviving.
How can hearing aids help?
Researchers have found that hearing aids not only improve one's quality of life but also restore the well-being of a relationship that has begun to suffer from untreated hearing loss. Hearing aids make it possible to communicate again and can repair all the good things that go with communication, as well–long conversations, conflict resolution, stories, jokes, and funny moments. Despite hearing problems, couples can also look forward to engaging in their previously enjoyed activities together and begin to remember positive memories.
Treatment with hearing aids can improve so many aspects of a relationship that is strained by hearing loss:
Untreated hearing loss can contribute to the unwelcome loss of connection with your partner, and a distance can start to develop.
If one relies increasingly on the other due to untreated hearing loss, both people are frustrated. Anyone with hearing loss might start losing self-confidence rather than building on another person and retreating from potentially noisy situations. Hearing aids help remove this frustration by improving hearing in loud environments.
Hearing aids will restore a sense of spontaneity and enjoyment by closing the door on past anger and anxiety behaviors.
It may not seem like a simple point that you both might agree on the correct level for watching television, but such minor conflicts that can not be resolved can have an impact on any relationship over time.
Whether answering the door or bringing dinner out of the oven when the timer rings, there can be hundreds of small ways a person wearing hearing aids can make the day-to-day life of their partner easier.
Take a moment to think about your life's most important relationships. Has your untreated hearing loss led to a strain in your connection to these people? There's no need to let issues with hearing damage your connection with those you love most. Do not delay seeking treatment if you have had problems with communication due to your hearing loss. Contact us at Hart Hearing and Balance Centers today.