Make no mistake: Keeping your mind clear and preventing cognitive conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s can be accomplished in numerous ways. Social engagement and participation in the workforce are among the most significant. Whichever methods are used to deal with cognitive decline, however, keeping your hearing strong and wearing hearing aids if you need them will be immensely helpful.
Numerous studies show that the conditions listed above are all linked to untreated hearing loss. The following is a look at why hearing loss can cause serious issues with your mental health and how solutions like hearing aids can help you keep your brain functioning at a higher level for a longer period of time.
How Hearing Loss Contributes to Cognitive Decline
The link between hearing loss and cognitive decline has been analyzed numerous times over the years by researchers at Johns Hopkins. The same story was revealed by each study: cognitive decline was more common with individuals who experience hearing loss. Actually, one study demonstrated that people with hearing loss were 24% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than people with healthy hearing.
Even though dementia isn’t specifically caused by hearing loss there is certainly a connection. When you can’t effectively process sound your brain has to work overtime according to leading theories. That means your brain is using more precious energy on relatively simple activities, leaving a lot less of that energy for more advanced processes such as cognitive function and memory.
Your mental health can also be significantly impacted by hearing loss. Anxiety, depression, and social isolation have all been linked to hearing loss and there might even be a connection with schizophrenia. Remaining socially active, as mentioned, is the best way to safeguard your mental health and preserve your cognitive clarity. In many cases, hearing loss causes people to feel self-conscious out in public, which means they’ll turn to seclusion instead. The lack of human interaction can produce the other mental health issues mentioned above and eventually lead to cognitive impairments.
Keeping Your Mental Faculties Sharp With Hearing Aids
One of the best tools we have to fight dementia and other cognition disorders such as Alzheimer’s is hearing aids. Sadly, most people who require hearing aids don’t use them. People might stay away from hearing aids because they’ve had a bad experience in the past or maybe they hold some kind of stigma, but the fact is that they are proven to help people hear better and retain their cognitive functions for longer periods of time.
When your hearing is harmed for an extended amount of time, the brain may forget how to recognize some common sounds and will have to learn them all over again. It’s essential to let your brain get back to processing more important tasks and hearing aids can do just that by preventing this problem in the first place and helping you relearn any sounds the brain has forgotten.
Get in touch with us today to discover what options are available to help you start hearing better in this decade and beyond.
The content of this blog is the intellectual property of MedPB.com and is reprinted here with permission.
The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive a personalized free hearing test and hearing loss consultation, call today to set up an appointment.
