What’s the connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline? Brain health and hearing loss have a connection which medical science is starting to comprehend. It was discovered that even mild untreated hearing impairment increases your risk of developing dementia.
Researchers think that there might be a pathological link between these two seemingly unrelated health issues. So how can a hearing test help decrease the risk of hearing loss related dementia?
Dementia, what is it?
Dementia is a condition that reduces memory ability, thinking, and socialization skills, as reported by the Mayo Clinic. Alzheimer’s is a prevalent form of cognitive decline the majority of individuals think of when they hear the word dementia. Alzheimer’s means progressive dementia that impacts about five million people in the U.S. Exactly how hearing health effects the danger of dementia is finally well grasped by scientists.
How hearing works
When it comes to good hearing, every part of the complex ear mechanism matters. Waves of sound go into the ear canal and are amplified as they travel toward the inner ear. Inside the maze of the inner ear, tiny hair cells vibrate in response to the sound waves to send electrical signals that the brain translates.
As time passes, many individuals develop a progressive decline in their ability to hear because of years of trauma to these delicate hair cells. Comprehension of sound becomes a lot harder due to the reduction of electrical signals to the brain.
Research indicates that this gradual loss of hearing isn’t just an inconsequential part of aging. Whether the signals are unclear and garbled, the brain will try to decode them anyway. The ears can become strained and the brain fatigued from the added effort to hear and this can ultimately lead to a higher chance of developing dementia.
Here are a few disease risk factors with hearing loss in common:
- Trouble learning new skills
- Exhaustion
- Depression
- Reduction in alertness
- Irritability
- Impaired memory
- Weak overall health
And the more severe your hearing loss the higher your risk of cognitive decline. Even minor hearing loss can double the danger of dementia. Hearing loss that is more severe will raise the risk by three times and extremely severe untreated hearing loss can put you at up to a five times higher danger. The cognitive skills of more than 2,000 older adults were studied by Johns Hopkins University over six years. They revealed that hearing loss advanced enough to hinder conversation was 24 percent more likely to cause memory and cognitive issues.
Why a hearing assessment matters
Not everyone realizes how even slight hearing loss impacts their overall health. For most people, the decline is slow so they don’t always recognize there is a problem. The human brain is good at adjusting as hearing declines, so it’s less noticeable.
We will be able to effectively assess your hearing health and track any changes as they occur with routine hearing exams.
Using hearing aids to decrease the risk
Scientists presently believe that the link between cognitive decline and hearing loss is largely based on the brain stress that hearing loss causes. Based on that one fact, you may conclude that hearing aids decrease that risk. The stress on your brain will be reduced by using a hearing aid to filter out unwanted background noise while boosting sounds you want to hear. The sounds that you’re hearing will come through without as much effort.
People who have normal hearing can still possibly get dementia. What science thinks is that hearing loss accelerates the decline in the brain, increasing the chances of cognitive problems. The key to reducing that risk is regular hearing tests to diagnose and treat gradual hearing loss before it can have an impact on brain health.
If you’re concerned that you might be suffering from hearing loss, contact us today to schedule your hearing examination.
