Like lots of other devices, hearing aids are getting smarter all of the time. They’re also more inconspicuous and cooler than ever before. The U.S. census documents that the average American is older as the whole population gets older, and unfortunately, loss of hearing, especially in older people, is very common. Approximately 37.5 million American adults and rising say they have some degree of hearing loss.
Fortunately hearing technology has had some exciting advancements recently that will offer more options for dealing with hearing loss. Here are just a few of the developments coming our way.
Your General Health Can be Tracked by Your Hearing Aids
Did you realize that hearing aids can keep track of several important vital signs as well or better than a fitness tracker? Not only can it keep track of step count, how many calories were burned, the total number of steps you took and heart rate, it also monitors the time in between heartbeats to help detect any cardiovascular worries. They’re also working on technology that can assess other important vital signs including blood pressure and oxygenation of the blood. Hearing aids also often have other pluses, like the ability to help drown out tinnitus and will help you hear generally so that your social life will improve also. Actually, social engagement has been connected to your general health also, so actually it’s another health metric we should be following. Since hearing aids can now also sync with your smartphone so you can listen to your tunes, who needs a smartwatch or fitness device?
More intelligent and Simpler Streaming
Being connected to your virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa is becoming more important as people get more addicted to these features. Even if you defy the lure of talking directly to these assistants, hearing aids with Bluetooth offer key features such as streaming music directly from a smart device like your phone or even streaming directly from a smart TV. Just consider the advantages: You can steer clear of getting yelled at for having the Volume too loud while watching this year’s Super Bowl in a room full of screaming friends. The ability to directly stream music, phone calls, shows and more right to your ears not only helps you hear and enjoy them more, but it will also help you regulate your hearing loss discreetly.
Automatic Adjustments
Have you noticed that you get ads from Goodreads and they seem to already know what type of books you 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. New hearing aid technologies harness this type of intelligence and use it to make changes according to your past reactions. For instance, if you turned down the volume the last time you went to the train station, your hearing aid will recall that and turn itself down the next time you go into the train station. They are also starting to network your hearing aids with other devices that belong to people near you in order to inform you of a possible loud noise danger nearby. Over time you will be able to adjust quickly to variations in the hearing environment because your hearing aid will make recommendations based on all the information it has collected.
You Won’t Need to Keep Changing Those Tiny Batteries
Who wants to constantly struggle with hearing aid batteries? Rechargeable hearing aids are now available. While you can do a lot to help extend the life of your hearing aids’ batteries, let’s face it…it’s still annoying and expensive. Better yet, they are working on technology to recharge hearing aids without even having to take them out.
