Some people wonder if they can just wear one hearing aid to treat their hearing loss instead of two. Except for very specific situations where it is expressly recommended by a medical professional that you only use one hearing aid, you should always use two for optimal hearing performance.
Benefits of Binaural Hearing 
Binaural hearing is simply the ability to hear in two ears. Typically, when a person experiences hearing loss, both ears are affected. You might think that if your hearing loss isn’t severe, wearing just one hearing aid would be enough to meet your hearing needs, but that isn’t the case.
If hearing loss becomes too asymmetric, as would be the case if you only wore one hearing aid instead of two, it’s harder for you to know where sounds are coming from and what sounds to focus on, among other things.
Improved Speech Comprehension
With two hearing aids, you can be more selective in what you listen to. You are also able to distinguish sounds from one another with greater ease, such as different voices. This can be especially important in conversations with multiple people, or when talking to someone where there is a lot of background noise.
Quality of Sound
Two hearing aids improve the quality of your hearing in a way that one simply cannot. One of the reasons a person gets hearing aids in the first place is so that they can continue to experience the world around them, much in the way they did before hearing loss. If you’re listening to music at home or taking in a live show at Charleston Music Hall you want the sound quality to be the best it possibly can be. Wearing two hearing aids gives you that option.
Detect Where Sound is Coming From
With two hearing aids, you will be able to identify what direction sound is coming from. This is not only helpful during social interactions but can also make you safer. Knowing where sirens are coming from in relation to your car for example, lets you know when to pull over and allow an ambulance to pass.
Less Work, More Stimulation
If your hearing is only being aided in one ear, it takes more work to distinguish sounds from one another and tell where sound is coming from. This can be taxing, both physically and emotionally.
At the same time, your brain is less stimulated if you’re getting unequal noise input from your ears. The better hearing ear will take on more of the listening responsibilities, and the unaided ear is at risk of auditory deprivation and can lead to difficulty processing sound.
Get the Most Out of Your Hearing Aids
In order to fully get all the benefits of hearing aids, including increased social connections and renewed confidence in your ability to navigate the world, wear hearing aids in both ears. This will make it easier to hear what is happening around you and get the most out of your investment in hearing aids.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call The Hearing & Balance Center today.