'I literally cried a little' - Read stunning real-life reactions to new hearing aids

People wait on average five to seven years before getting a hearing test—setting themselves up for auditory deprivation and other harmful effects of hearing loss, including dementia, in the meantime.

One of the ways Healthy Hearing addresses this treatment delay is by providing an online directory of more than 4,700 hearing aid clinics across the U.S. After an appointment, people can leave a review of their experience.

To date, more than 42,000 people have done so! We read every single review. Hands down, it's the best part of our job—day after day, we get to see how people's lives are transformed by hearing aids. And now we want to show you, too. If you've been reluctant to get hearing aids (or a loved one has), we hope these reviews encourage you to take action.

'There just aren't words to describe how joyful I am'

Hearing loss affects nearly all aspects of your life, as illustrated by this customer's review of Freedom Audiology in Arizona:

"I am overwhelmed with the results—I never expected a set of hearing aids to make such a dramatic impact on my life —not only can I hear my wife when she’s talking to me, but I can hear when my dogs enter the room, I can hear the TV w/out vibrating everything off the walls, my neighbors no longer complain about the noise. Phone calls go directly to my hearing aids, as does music streaming, and TV if I want it to.

Seriously, there just aren’t words to describe how joyful I am—I am no longer isolated, I can again enjoy visiting with friends, eating at restaurants, going to ball games and the movies. I can hear my grandkids. I can once again enjoy music."

Reconnecting to friends and family

'I am no longer sitting in a corner wondering what is going on.'

Many people don't realize how hearing loss increases social isolation. If you can't hear well, you may avoid social events and simply stop visiting with friends and family like you once did. Not only does this isolation make you lonelier, it puts you at risk of depression and dementia, because your brain is understimulated.

Enter hearing aids:

"I didn’t think that hearing aids would help me but boy oh boy was I wrong. I am no longer sitting in a corner wondering what is going on. The solutions that they have help me with have changed my life and given me back the social experiences that I was missing," noted a happy customer of Timpanogos Hearing in Utah.

'Everyone I know rejoices with me'

And a customer of Audiology with a Heart was beyond pleased to reconnect with her church:

"This morning in church, I sat in the very back row and heard all announcements, readings and homily! Everyone I know rejoices with me."

The little things you don't even realize you're not hearing anymore

The most common type of hearing loss is high-frequency hearing loss, which makes it harder to hear high-pitched sounds, such as women's voices, children's voices, and birdsong. It also affects how you hear speech, as consonants are spoken at a higher frequency than vowels—words like cat and sat may be indistinguishable. We see a lot of reviews where people simply didn't know all the little things they were missing out on from high-frequency hearing loss:

The turn signal

"I didn’t realize how bad my hearing was—simple things like my turn signal sound on my way home," noted a customer of Natrona Heights Hearing Life clinic in Pennsylvania.

Birdsong

"So many lost years of not being able to hear and now life is so much better! Walked out of the office this morning to the sweet sound of a bird singing. Absolutely life changing!" said this customer of Lemme Audiology Associates.

The full range of music

For people with specialized hearing needs—such as musicians—programmable hearing aids with music settings make it easier than ever to improve the listening experience. After getting new hearing aids and working with his audiologist to tweak the settings, for example, this customer of Auditory Associates in California, was pleased to pick up his instruments again:

"Now when I play or listen to music, I'm able to hear sounds I hadn't heard for years. Overtones in the brass instruments and strings brought a tear to my eyes as I realized how much I had missed out on for so many years. I wish I could put into words just how much these devices that Mark fitted me with have changed my life."

But even just simply listening to music feels like a whole new experience after getting hearing aids. For music lovers, this can feel transformative, as this customer of FineTone Hearing Aid Center shows:

"I literally cried a little when I got in my car and could hear the music without the road noise!! It's a beautiful thing!"

Talking on the phone or streaming audio

After realizing how much hearing aids helped with talking on the phone, this satisfied customer of Atlantic Hearing Care wishes she had gotten hearing aids sooner:

"I love talking on my cell phone now or listening to podcasts while walking."

And this customer of SoundChoice Hearing in New Mexico is now enjoying all the streaming capabilities that modern hearing aid technology provide:

"The hearing aids I own allow me to stream voice from the TV directly into my aids as well as radio and podcasts from my phone. This has been a tremendous asset."

Easing the burden of tinnitus

Many people leaving reviews on our site are thrilled to discover that hearing aids also help with tinnitus, especially since so many people think there is nothing that can be done. Very happily, they realize otherwise:

"I was a bit anxious about my tinnitus diagnosis, but after my visit and a set of trial hearing aids, I’m in a much better frame of mind. Both my hearing and tinnitus issues are much improved!" noted a recent customer of Audiology Associates of North Florida.

And this customer of Hearing Health Care in South Carolina wishes he could wear them 24/7:

"These hearing aids are so comfortable, I don't know they are even in. I discovered over time I didn't notice the tinnitus as much. In fact I never want to take them off, so much I wish I could sleep in them, regrettably you can't. The team at are wonderful, they work diligently to ensure your happiness and safety," he said.

Don't let the fullness of life slip away

Reviews show that tears are a common reaction to new hearing aids—tears of happiness, that is.

"I cried when the test aids were put in my ears," noted a customer at Ears 2 Hear in Surfside, Calif. "I'm so happy I chose to gather my clues and seek out a professional. It slips away so slowly we don’t notice—all the while making compensations we don’t realize we’re making. If you’re reading this just go! Don’t sit idly by while the fullness and richness of your life slips away."

'I got a little emotional hearing sounds that were lost to me for a long time'

We loved this heartfelt review from a customer of HEARINC in Ohio, especially as he shares the emotional process of hearing sounds again:

"When we were leaving (obviously with my new hearing aids) we pulled to the street and when I flipped my turn signal on I could hear it clicking. At that point I knew I had been missing out on hearing a lot of the most simple things not to mention normal conversations with people. Later that day after my wife left for work and as I was getting ready for work I had to call her and ask her if our floors always creaked like that (I admit, I got a little emotional hearing sounds that were lost to me for a long time). This was a life changing event for me."

'Best thing we've done for our health and peace of mind'

Like we mentioned earlier, hearing aids are health aids. When you deny yourself the ability to hear fully, you put yourself at risk for other health problems. Why make life harder and less healthy? As these happy customers of Timpanogos Hearing & Balance Clinic in Spanish Fork, Utah, point out, it's about self-care and self-preservation:

"BEST thing we've ever done for our health and peace of mind. It's not just a hearing aid: It's science, working with your brain, to help preserve your hearing. Please dear friends, make your hearing care as important as you do with all your other health care."

We couldn't agree more!