Let’s be clear: Keeping your mind clear and avoiding cognitive disorders including dementia and Alzheimer’s can be accomplished in several ways. Social engagement and involvement in the workforce are among the most notable. No matter the method, though, managing hearing loss by using hearing aids makes these activities a great deal easier and contributes in its own way to battling cognitive issues.
Many studies show that the conditions listed above are all connected to neglected hearing loss. This article will outline the connection between cognitive decline and hearing loss and how wearing hearing aids can reduce the probability of these conditions becoming an imminent issue.
The Link Between Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline
The connection 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: individuals with hearing loss suffered from dementia and cognitive decline in higher rates than those without. One study revealed, in fact, that there was a 24% higher instance of Alzheimer’s in individuals who have diminished hearing.
Hearing loss by itself does not cause dementia, but there is a link between these conditions. The leading theories suggest that your brain must work overtime when you can’t effectively process sounds. That means that tasks such as cognition and memory, which require more energy, can’t function efficiently because your brain has to spend so much of that energy on more simple tasks.
Your mental health can also be significantly affected by hearing loss. Anxiety, social isolation, and depression have all been linked to hearing loss and there could even be a connection with schizophrenia. All of these conditions also lead to cognitive decline – as noted above, one of the best ways to preserve your mental sharpness is to remain socially active. Frequently, people who have hearing loss will turn to self isolation because they feel self conscious in public. The lack of human contact can lead to the other mental health issues listed above and eventually lead to cognitive impairments.
How a Hearing Aid Can Help You Safeguard Your Mental Faculties
One of the best tools we have to fight dementia and other cognition conditions like Alzheimer’s is hearing aids. The problem is that only one out of seven of the millions of people 50 or older who deal with hearing impairment actually wear a hearing aid. People might stay away from hearing aids because they’ve had a negative experience in the past or maybe they hold some kind of stigma, but in fact, hearing aids have been shown to help people preserve their cognitive function by helping them hear better.
There are situations where particular sounds will need to be relearned because they’ve been forgotten after extended hearing damage. A hearing aid can either stop that scenario from occurring in the first place or assist you in relearning those sounds, which will let your brain focus on other, more essential tasks.
If you want to learn what options are available to help you begin hearing better get in touch with us.