Multiple studies have verified that hearing loss can have an influence on your brain. (Some of our other blogs clearly reveal that.) The good news is, it’s also been confirmed that you can recover some of that cognitive capacity by using hearing aids.
This is not to imply that hearing aids are somehow going to make you smarter. But there’s some compelling research that suggests hearing aids can improve cognitive abilities, lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.
Your Brain is in Charge of a Substantial Amount of Your Hearing
It’s essential to realize how significant a part your brain plays in hearing if you are going to comprehend the connection between cognition and your ears. It’s the brain’s job to transform sound vibrations into perceptible sound information. So as your hearing wanes, the regions of your brain that translate those sounds suddenly have a lot less to do.
In combination with other considerations (like social isolation), the changes in your brain (and hearing) can trigger the onset of specific mental health issues. Anxiety, depression, and dementia are a lot more noticeable in individuals who have neglected hearing loss.
Your essentially “treating” your hearing loss when you’re wearing hearing aids. That means:
- You’ll be less likely to isolate yourself socially. You will be more likely to participate with others if you can hear and understand conversations.
- Your brain will stay healthier if it keeps working; your brain will be getting a more frequent workout in the regions responsible for hearing.
- You can stop your hearing from getting worse by wearing hearing aids together with regular screening.
Staying Attentive
Hearing aids enhance your brain and your social life and can lessen depression, anxiety, and dementia.
- Growing awareness: Occasionally, you fall because you’re not aware of your environment. Diminished ability to hear can substantially reduce your situational awareness. Identifying which direction sound is originating from can be as difficult as hearing sound in general. A fall or other injury can be the consequence.
- Inner ear health: Inner ear damage is not triggered by hearing loss alone. Notwithstanding, sometimes hearing loss and inner ear issues have a common cause. In some cases, a hearing aid is a component of the treatment program for hearing loss which can also assist with inner ear injury.
- New technology: Hearing aids have started containing unique technology that is able to notify emergency contacts (or emergency services) when a person using the hearing aids experiences a fall. This can minimize long lasting injuries and complications though it won’t prevent the fall itself.
Inevitably, when you’re using a hearing aid, you’re more likely to avoid a fall to start with. A hearing aid keeps you more alert, more aware, and more connected, improving cognitive capabilities and general health in the process.
Stop Ignoring Your Hearing Aid
None of this has even yet dealt with the fundamental hearing advantages of hearing aids. So it seems as if when you factor in all of the positive aspects related to wearing hearing aids, it’s a no brainer. (not something you need to overthink).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be challenging to recognize loss of hearing when it arises slowly over time. That’s the reason why having a routine hearing assessment is essential. Without hearing aids, hearing loss can worsen a wide variety of other health issues.
Hearing aids will minimize the likelihood of physical damage while helping to slow dementia and depression. That’s an impressive mix of benefits that hearing aids provide, and they also help you hear.