February 21, 2025
Hearing aids today do much more than just help you hear better. While improving your hearing remains their main job, many new models now come with built-in features that can track your health and daily activities - similar to what you might expect from a smartwatch.
When you're looking at hearing aids from brands like Phonak, Oticon, and Widex, you'll find they come with some impressive health tracking abilities. Take the Oticon Intent - it uses smart sensors that can tell whether you're walking, running, or sitting still, and adjusts your hearing settings to match what you're doing. It's like having a hearing aid that moves with you.
These hearing aids can act as wellness companions throughout your day. They count your steps, track how active you are, and can even tell if you've fallen - sending an alert to family members or caregivers if needed. This fall detection feature gives extra peace of mind, especially for people who live alone. Some models can even keep an eye on your heart rate patterns and stress levels right from your ear.
If you wear your hearing aids at night, they can give you insights into your sleep patterns too. The myPhonak app makes it easy to see how long you're wearing your hearing aids and how active you've been. Having this information helps us work with you to fine-tune your hearing aids and make sure you're getting the most out of them.
The latest hearing aids from manufacturers like Oticon incorporate advanced sensor technology to track physical activity. The Oticon Intent, for example, uses 4D User-Intent Sensors that adapt to your movements and listening needs. These sensors can monitor daily steps and activity levels, helping users maintain an active lifestyle while providing their hearing care professional with valuable information about their daily routines.
The myPhonak app, available with Phonak Infinio hearing aids, includes comprehensive health tracking features. Users can monitor their wearing time, step count, and other health-related data directly through their smartphone. This information helps both users and hearing care professionals better understand activity patterns and make informed decisions about hearing aid settings and overall health goals.
Some modern hearing aids now include sophisticated sensors that can detect falls and monitor heart rate patterns. This feature is particularly beneficial for older adults or those with balance concerns. When a fall is detected, these devices can be set up to automatically alert predetermined emergency contacts, providing an added layer of safety and peace of mind for both users and their families.
Quality sleep is essential for overall health, and newer hearing aids can help monitor sleep patterns. By analyzing factors such as movement and sound environments during nighttime hours, these devices provide insights into sleep quality and duration. This information can be particularly valuable for users who may experience sleep disturbances related to their hearing loss or tinnitus.
Advanced hearing aids can now generate comprehensive wellness scores based on various health metrics they collect throughout the day. These scores take into account factors such as:
This holistic approach to health monitoring helps users better understand the connection between their hearing health and overall well-being.
Recent research has shown strong links between hearing health and cognitive function. Modern hearing aids address this connection through features that support brain health. The Signia IX, for instance, includes RealTime Conversation Enhancement technology that helps reduce listening effort, potentially decreasing cognitive load and fatigue throughout the day.
Many current hearing aids can connect with smartphone health apps and virtual assistants, allowing users to track their health metrics alongside other wellness data. This integration provides a more complete picture of overall health and makes it easier to share information with healthcare providers.
For hearing care professionals, these health monitoring features provide valuable insights that help optimize patient care. We can remotely access this data through secure channels, allowing us to make informed decisions about adjustments and care recommendations without requiring in-person visits for every change.
While health monitoring features are particularly beneficial for older adults, they serve users of all ages:
Young Professionals:
Active Adults:
Older Adults:
Modern hearing aids prioritize user privacy and data security. Health monitoring data is encrypted and protected, with users having full control over what information they share with their hearing care professionals or family members.
Manufacturers regularly release firmware updates to enhance health monitoring capabilities. These updates often add new features and improve existing ones, ensuring users always have access to the latest health monitoring technologies.
If you're interested in learning more about how modern hearing aids can support both your hearing and overall health monitoring needs, we invite you to schedule an in-home consultation with one of our experienced audiologists. We'll demonstrate these features using the latest hearing aid models and help you understand how they can benefit your specific lifestyle and health goals. Contact us at (201) 731-8828 to arrange your appointment, and we'll bring these advanced hearing solutions directly to your home.
