Hearing aids could benefit about 28 million people. Needless to say, when we talk about data like that, we usually mean that those 28 million people would hear the world a little bit more clearly if they had some help (like hearing aids). But there are also some other, somewhat surprising health benefits that you can begin to enjoy thanks to your hearing aids.
Your physical and mental health can, as it so happens, be improved by something as straight forward as using hearing aids. Everything from depression to a risk of falling can be slowed or even prevented by these gadgets. Your hearing aids can literally keep you on your feet.
Hearing Aids And Mental Health Advantages
Modern medical research has firmly established a link between cognitive decline and hearing loss. The current thinking is that, for a mixture of mental, social, and physical factors, hearing loss can trigger an increased danger of mental illness, like anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and dementia.
So it’s no surprise that the latest analyses has suggested that hearing aids may have significant mental health advantages.
Dementia Risks Reduced
Your chances of dementia can be reduced, according to one study, by nearly 20%. That’s a fantastic advantage when the only thing you have to do is remember to wear your hearing aids every day.
Other research has indicated that wearing your hearing aids regularly can slow the onset of dementia by up to two years. Further research needs to be done to help explain and replicate these results, but it’s definitely encouraging.
Depression And Anxiety Can be Reduced
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 anxiety and depression over time.
Wearing your hearing aids can help you stay socially active and mentally engaged. Hearing aids can be particularly helpful if those factors are contributing to depression and anxiety.
You Won’t Feel as Lonely
While it might not seem as serious or important as dementia, for people with neglected hearing loss, loneliness can be a real issue, social isolation often being the cause and worsening symptoms. Your overall mood can be considerably influenced by social separation. So being able to remain social and engaged with help from your hearing aid can be a big benefit.
And this is a good reason why, for instance, your hearing aid can help counter conditions like depression. All of these health concerns, to a certain degree, are in some way linked.
The Physical Advantages of Hearing Aids
There is some data which suggests that as hearing loss symptoms become more apparent, your danger of stroke escalates. But that particular research is obviously on the preliminary side. The most obvious (and perceptible) physical advantage of hearing aids is a little more straightforward: you’ll fall less often.
This occurs for two reasons:
- Fall detection: At times, it’s not the fall that’s perilous. Rather, it’s that you can’t get back up that can be a real problem. Many new models of hearing aids come with fall detection as a standard feature. With particular settings enabled, when you take a tumble, a call will automatically be made to one of your pre-programmed emergency contacts so they will know to check on you.
- Situational awareness:
As you age falling down can have a devastating impact on your health. So avoiding falls (or minimizing the damage from falls) can be a substantial benefit that ripples throughout your overall health.
Wear Your Hearing Aids Everyday
These advantages, it’s worth mentioning, apply to individuals who have hearing impairment. Hearing aids won’t, for instance, help somebody 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.
