That loss of hearing can affect your brain has been established in several studies. (Some of our other blogs clearly demonstrate that.) Hearing Aids, luckily, have been proven to be capable of helping you restore some of that cognitive ability.
We’re not saying that you will become smarter just by wearing hearing aids. But there’s some compelling research that suggests cognitive ability can be enhanced by using hearing aids lowering your risk for anxiety, depression, and dementia.
Your Brain is in Charge of a Substantial Portion of Your Hearing
It’s important to realize how big a part your brain plays in hearing if you are going to understand the link between your ears and cognition. It’s the brain’s task to convert sound vibrations into recognizable sound information. The parts of your brain that translate sound will suddenly have less to do when hearing starts to diminish.
In combination with other considerations (like social isolation), the alterations in your brain (and hearing) can result in the onset of certain mental health problems. In persons with untreated hearing loss, it’s not uncommon to observe an increase in the risks for depression, anxiety, and dementia.
When you wear hearing aids, you’re effectively “treating” your hearing loss. That means:
- The regions of your brain responsible for hearing will get a more consistent workout; the more your brain works, the healthier your brain will be.
- Social isolation won’t be as likely. You will be more likely to engage with others if you can hear and understand conversations.
- Because you’ll be able to couple your hearing aids with routine monitoring and other treatments, you can stop your hearing from getting increasingly worse.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids enhance your brain and your social life and can lessen depression, anxiety, and dementia.
- The health of your inner ear: Inner ear damage is not caused by hearing loss alone. But there is normally a common cause for both loss of hearing and damage to the inner ear. So treating the one can help you treat the other, and in some situations, a hearing aid is a part of that treatment routine.
- Increasing awareness: At times, you fall because you’re not aware of your environment. Diminished hearing ability can substantially lessen your situational awareness. Figuring out which direction sound is originating from can be as difficult as hearing sound in general. Without treatment, this can end up causing a fall or injury.
- Cutting edge technology: Some current hearing aids, when someone has a fall, can immediately alert emergency services. This can prevent lasting injuries and complications though it won’t prevent the fall itself.
Ultimately, when you’re using a hearing aid, you’re more likely to steer clear of a fall in the first place. A hearing aid keeps you more alert, more aware, and more tuned in, elevating cognitive abilities and general health in the process.
Stop Ignoring Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even yet discussed the fundamental hearing advantages of hearing aids. So it seems like when you consider all of the positive aspects associated with wearing hearing aids, it’s a no brainer. (Pretty obvious).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be difficult to recognize hearing loss when it develops gradually over time. That’s the reason why it’s essential to get your hearing tested regularly. Without hearing aids, hearing loss can exacerbate a wide variety of other health issues.
The ideal hearing aid can, in part, slow the onset of despair and dementia, while reducing the incidents of some physical injuries. That’s a stunning combination of advantages that hearing aids provide, and they also help your hearing.