Hearing loss support - Hearing Aids and Nicotine

Author

Hearing Aids and Nicotine - Addictive?

Mason C

2006-09-04, 2:24 am

Serious question this.

The body adapts to nicotine. If nicotine is withdrawn there
is serious discomfort. Nicotine is addictive.

The brain adapts to the new sound of a hearing aid.
If the aid is withdrawn.... what? Is the aid addictive?

What induced the question is that I'm finding that without
the aid my hearing now seems worse than I thought.
Is it, in fact, worse?

Is my brain adaptation reducing my ability to hear?

My experience is short -- about five weeks. Where will
I be in five months? Addicted? Irreversibly committed?

Mason C

HOHDAVE

2006-09-04, 4:29 pm

Hi Mason.

I don't think that is a true statement. Nicotine is a drug that change
your body to depend on it like alcohol does.

Hearing aid is an insturment to help you hear better. Like glasses
help you to see better. Your eye sight don't get worst after wear
glasses... It seems worst as you are used to wearing your glasses or
hearing aid(s) all day.

I been wearing hearing aids and glasses most all my life. My hearing
has not change but my eyes has with OLD AGE of 53.. LOL

My thoughts.

David Pearson

Mason C wrote:
> Serious question this.
>
> The body adapts to nicotine. If nicotine is withdrawn there
> is serious discomfort. Nicotine is addictive.
>
> The brain adapts to the new sound of a hearing aid.
> If the aid is withdrawn.... what? Is the aid addictive?
>
> What induced the question is that I'm finding that without
> the aid my hearing now seems worse than I thought.
> Is it, in fact, worse?
>
> Is my brain adaptation reducing my ability to hear?
>
> My experience is short -- about five weeks. Where will
> I be in five months? Addicted? Irreversibly committed?
>
> Mason C

Lyndon

2006-09-04, 4:29 pm

"Mason C" <masonc2@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:r7gnf2p8edc5uoo7nqtfmno716o2iuel0l@4ax.com...
> Serious question this.
>
> The body adapts to nicotine. If nicotine is withdrawn there
> is serious discomfort. Nicotine is addictive.
>
> The brain adapts to the new sound of a hearing aid.
> If the aid is withdrawn.... what? Is the aid addictive?
>
> What induced the question is that I'm finding that without
> the aid my hearing now seems worse than I thought.
> Is it, in fact, worse?
>
> Is my brain adaptation reducing my ability to hear?
>
> My experience is short -- about five weeks. Where will
> I be in five months? Addicted? Irreversibly committed?
>
> Mason C
>
Ok. Here's my theory. It's based on - well nothing really. Just a wild guess
really.

When you have a hearing difficulty, by definition you only hear part of what
is said. Your brain has to work overtime to try to make sense of what was
said. It uses all kinds of techniques that we are not familiar with, and
often it gets it wrong, but that's not relevant here.

This is a very tiring process, and is why many people with hearing
difficulties need to rake a break after being with people for quite a short
time.

When you wear a hearing aid, this mental process is considerably easier. Oh,
you have other problems to contend with that I won't go into here, but the
process of interpreting the spoken word is considerably easier. Otherwise we
wouldn't bother. After a few weeks of this, the brain is getting used to
not having to work so hard at interpreting the 'gaps' in what you hear. Now
take the aid off, and you are asking the brain to go back to the old ways.
The brain is not too keen on this, so you can't hear as well as you could
before you started wearing an aid.

There you have it. The Lyndon Thomas theory of interpreting speech.

If you think that is a load of rubbish, it may well be. However it fits with
my experience.

Hope this helps.
--
Lyndon

Steve B.

2006-09-04, 9:28 pm

HOHDAVE said:

> Hi Mason.
>
> I don't think that is a true statement. Nicotine is a drug that change
> your body to depend on it like alcohol does.
>
> Hearing aid is an insturment to help you hear better. Like glasses
> help you to see better. Your eye sight don't get worst after wear
> glasses... It seems worst as you are used to wearing your glasses or
> hearing aid(s) all day.
>
> I been wearing hearing aids and glasses most all my life. My hearing
> has not change but my eyes has with OLD AGE of 53.. LOL

Hey, watch it! I'm 53. :-\

Steve = ; ^ )

Steve B.

2006-09-04, 9:28 pm

Steve B. said:

> HOHDAVE said:
>
>
> Hey, watch it! I'm 53. :-\
>
> Steve = ; ^ )

I should probably add that my eyesight has deteriorated markedly in the last
decade, too.

Steve = : ^ )

jay

2006-09-04, 9:28 pm

....snip
> Ok. Here's my theory. It's based on - well nothing really. Just a wild guess
> really.
>
....
> Lyndon

That's a perfect description of my experience as well. I'll add,
though, that the eyeglass example, while a similar analogy, has been a
bit different for me. I had Lasik 7 years ago, and have 20-25 or 20-30
vision with a bit of astigmatism. I only use glasses a couple of times
a year, at a football game or in a movie theater. The longer I wear
them, the longer it takes my eyes, (and my vision is perfectly
acceptable to me unaided, but I like the extra sharpness when I'm
watching a movie or sporting event live) to "revert" to where I can
actually see again with little problem.

kol_Isha

2006-09-05, 2:25 am

"Steve B." <prettygood@everything.but.choosing.a.bogus.email.address> >>
>
> I should probably add that my eyesight has deteriorated markedly in the
> last
> decade, too.
>
> Steve = : ^ )
>

Well, I'm 53, too. So there. And, it's not that our eyesight has
deteriorated, it's just that our arms have gotten shorter.

I have the same concerns that Mason has. Actually, I know it's not
"addiction." Alcohol is physiologically addicting. Benzos are
physiologically addicting... your body builds up a tolerance and there are
physiological withdrawal symptoms that can be dangerous. Wearing glasses...
or contacts... or hearing aids... that's about becoming dependent on them or
used to them, not addicted. About not being happy with the way you hear
when you are not wearing them. Well, I've only had mine a little more than
a week. I like wearing them... to the movies, to work, etc. I have not
worn them around the house, I don't feel like I need to. When I take them
out at night, it takes about ten minutes of feeling "plugged up" until my
ears feel normal again. I wear contacts (have worn them since I was a kid)
and I've learned over the years that I like wearing them because my vision
is bright and clear... but sometimes my eyes are tired, or I'm puttering
around the house, and I don't bother. I don't need them.

I figure the same will be true with my hearing aids. I can wear them or
not, depending on my needs. Yesterday morning, I had them out because I was
busy cleaning the garage. Later, I took a shower. My hair is very long and
thick and takes hours to dry, and I usually let it air dry, so I was afraid
I would damage the hearing aids with my wet hair hanging down over my ears.
I realized I shouldn't put them in and I couldn't wear them all afternoon.
But last night, we went to see a film, and I wore them. First time in ages
I could hear everything without asking my husband "what did he/she say?"
Today I went to a barbecue at my sister's and was in a lousy mood and didn't
feel like talking to anybody anyway, so I didn't wear them. I was fine
until they all decided to rent a movie. Then, I was sorry I hadn't worn
them. Nobody wanted to turn the volume as loud as I needed it, so I missed
parts of the dialogue. I realized that in some situations, I LIKE having
them. I knew I would have heard everything fine if I had chosen to wear
them. Oh, well. Live and learn. I guess it'll take time to figure this
all out.

Regards,

Arlene

Mason C

2006-09-05, 2:25 am

Let me state the question less succinctly.

It has been said here many times that it takes time
for the brain to *adapt* to a hearing aid. As I recall,
some have said months. During that time the
audiologist will adjust the aid, probably giving it
increasing power as the brain changes.

"Adapt" implies *change* -- the brain changes to manage
the changed sounds. If this is a process that is real and
takes time, there must be a *physiological* change in the
brain. The neurons and synapses *adapt.*

Withdrawing the hearing aid exposes a brain that now
is not well adapted to its environment. And it would again
take time (months?) to re-set itself.

Ergo, the hearing aid is addictive in the same sense
that some chemicals are addictive. My morning coffee,
for a shining example.

Mason C

Wayne Boatwright

2006-09-09, 4:27 pm

Oh pshaw, on Sun 03 Sep 2006 11:10:06p, Mason C meant to say...

> Serious question this.
>
> The body adapts to nicotine. If nicotine is withdrawn there
> is serious discomfort. Nicotine is addictive.
>
> The brain adapts to the new sound of a hearing aid.
> If the aid is withdrawn.... what? Is the aid addictive?
>
> What induced the question is that I'm finding that without
> the aid my hearing now seems worse than I thought.
> Is it, in fact, worse?
>
> Is my brain adaptation reducing my ability to hear?
>
> My experience is short -- about five weeks. Where will
> I be in five months? Addicted? Irreversibly committed?
>
> Mason C

Addicted? No. Dependent? Perhaps.

I've had a moderately severe hearing loss since childhood and began wearing
hearing aids at age 9. I'm also very farsighted and astigmatic, and have
worn glasses since an early age.

Having said that, my hearing has barely changed at all over the years, and
my eyesight has changed moderately.

I wear my hearing aids and contact lenses almost every waking hour, except
for bathing or swimming. I like wearing them because they dramatically
improve my hearing and sight. I depend on them for that, but I would never
consider it an addiction.

Because you've been hearing better with aids or seeing better with glasses
or contacts, your hearing or seeing deficit simply becomes more apparent
without the aids or glasses.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

Oxymoron: Sharp Cookie.