Hearing aids could help about 28 million people. Needless to say, when we talk about statistics like that, we generally mean that those 28 million individuals would hear their surroundings a little more clearly if they had some help (like hearing aids). But there are also a number of other, rather surprising health benefits that you can begin to take advantage of thanks to your hearing aids.
As it turns out, something as straight forward as using your hearing aids could be good for your physical and mental health. Everything from depression to a risk of falling can be delayed or even prevented by these gadgets. In many ways, your hearing aids can help you stay on your feet.
Hearing Aids And Mental Health Benefits
The link between untreated hearing loss and mental decline is pretty well demonstrated by modern medical studies. Mental illnesses such as depression, cognitive decline, anxiety, and dementia, according to current thinking, can be induced by hearing loss due to a combination of mental, physical and social factors.
So the mental health advantages of hearing aids shouldn’t be very surprising.
Dementia Risks Reduced
As reported by one study, wearing your hearing aids can help decrease your risk of developing dementia by up to 18%. And all you need to do to take advantage of this awesome advantage is remember to wear your hearing every day.
In other studies, the arrival of dementia was delayed by as much as two years by wearing hearing aids. Further research has to be carried out to help clarify and duplicate these results, but it’s certainly encouraging.
Reduce Depression And Anxiety
Many people suffer from depression and anxiety even if they don’t have hearing loss. But individuals with hearing loss have been shown to be at a higher risk of depression and anxiety over time.
Wearing your hearing aids can help keep you socially involved and mentally connected. Hearing aids can be especially helpful if those factors are contributing to depression and anxiety.
You’ll Feel Less Lonely
While it may not sound as dire or imperative as dementia, for people with neglected hearing loss, loneliness can be a genuine issue, caused by and exacerbating a sense of social isolation. Your overall mood can be significantly affected by social separation. So it can be a huge benefit if your hearing aids can help you remain socially involved.
And this is an excellent reason why, for instance, your hearing aid can help protect against conditions like depression. All of these health issues, to some extent, are in some manner linked.
Hearing Aids And Physical Benefits
There is some data which suggests that as hearing loss symptoms become more noticeable, your risk of stroke escalates. But this research is in preliminary stages. It’s a little simpler to recognize the more obvious physical advantage of hearing aids: you’ll fall less frequently.
This occurs for two reasons:
- Situational awareness: This means you’ll be more capable of steering clear of obstacles that could cause a fall.
- Fall detection: Often, it’s getting back up after a fall that is the real danger, not the fall itself. Fall detection is a standard feature of many newer hearing aid designs. You can save emergency phone numbers into your phone which will automatically be called if you take a tumble.
As you grow older falling down can have a devastating impact on your health. So avoiding falls (or reducing the damage from falls) can be a substantial benefit that ripples throughout your general health.
Be Certain to Wear Your Hearing Aids
It’s worth keeping in mind that all of these advantages apply to those who suffer from hearing conditions. Hearing aids won’t, for instance, help someone with healthy hearing avoid a fall.
But using your hearing aids, if you do have hearing loss, is the smartest thing you can do for general health.