Hearing aids, as with many other devices, are getting smarter, more inconspicuous and more stylish every day, and just in time. The U.S. census reports that the average American is older as the whole population gets older, and hearing loss is, unfortunately, very common, particularly in older adults. Approximately 37.5 million adults in America and rising say they have some amount of hearing loss.
The good news is hearing technology has had some exciting developments recently that will provide more options for dealing with loss of hearing. Some of the innovations now available are presented here.
Hearing Aids That Track Your Overall Health
Did you realize that hearing aids can keep track of some key vital signs as well or better than a fitness tracker? Not only can it track step count, how many calories were burned, the total number of steps you took and heart rate, it also checks the time between heartbeats to help detect any cardiovascular concerns. They’re also working on technology that can assess other significant vital signs such as blood pressure and oxygenation of the blood. There are other possible advantages that come with hearing aids, including the ability to help drown out tinnitus and will help your overall hearing so that your social life will improve as well. Actually, social engagement is another statistic we should look at because it has been connected to your general health. With these new hearing aids, you won’t even need a fitness device or smartwatch because the hearing aids can sync to your smartphone so you can listen to your tunes.
Streaming Made More Intelligent And Simpler
As we get addicted to virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri, staying connected and able to communicate with them is getting more important. Even if you resist the lure of talking directly to these assistants, Bluetooth hearing aids permit you to stream sound from any Bluetooth device like your phone or smart TV. Just consider the benefits: You can steer clear of getting yelled at for having the Volume too high while watching this year’s Super Bowl in a room full of loud friends. You will be capable of managing your loss of hearing more discreetly and also appreciate your music, phone calls, and shows more by hearing them directly in your ears.
Automatic Adjustments
Ever notice how Goodreads seems to know what type of book you’d like to read? Or how all your favorite kinds of things get advertised to you by Amazon? This is the power of artificial intelligence and big data. The latest hearing aids can also make adjustments automatically based on your reactions in the past. It will notice how you prefer to turn down the volume when you enter the train station and do that automatically the next time it recognizes you’ve entered the station (or any other situation with a lot of background noise). They are also starting to network your hearing aids with other devices belonging to people near you in order to inform you of a potential loud noise danger nearby. Over time you can quickly adjust to changes in the hearing environment because your hearing aid will make suggestions based on all the information it has gathered.
What? No More Tiny 312 Batteries?
Who wants to continuously struggle with hearing aid batteries? Rechargeable hearing aids are now on the market. Even though you can do a lot to help extend the life of your hearing aids’ batteries, truth be told…it’s still pricey and aggravating. Better yet, they are developing technology that will recharge hearing aids without even having to take them out.
