Did you turn up the TV last night? If so, it may be an indication of hearing loss. The problem is… you can’t quite remember. And that’s been occurring more often, also. While working yesterday, you weren’t able to remember your new co-worker’s name. Yes, you just met her but your hearing and your memory seem to be faltering. And as you rack your brains, you can only come up with one common cause: you’re getting older.
Certainly, both memory and hearing can be impacted by age. But it’s even more significant that these two can also be linked to each other. That may sound like bad news initially (not only do you have to deal with hearing loss, you have to work around your failing memory too, wonderful). But there can be unseen positives to this connection.
Memory And Hearing Loss – What’s The Connection?
Hearing impairment can be straining for your brain in numerous ways long before you recognize the diminishing prowess of your ears. Though the “spillover” effects may start out small, over time they can expand, encompassing your brain, your memory, even your social life.
How is so much of your brain impacted by hearing loss? Well, there are a number of specific ways:
- Constant strain: In the early phases of hearing loss especially, your brain is going to experience a type of hyper-activation fatigue. This occurs because, even though there’s no external input signal, your brain struggles to hear what’s taking place in the world (it puts in a lot of energy trying to hear because without recognizing you have hearing loss, it believes that everything is quiet). This can leave your brain (and your body) feeling tired. Memory loss and other problems can be the result.
- It’s getting quieter: As your hearing starts to diminish, you’re going to experience more quietness (especially if your hearing loss goes unnoticed and neglected). This can be, well, kind of boring for the parts of your brain normally responsible for the interpretation of sounds. This boredom might not appear to be a serious issue, but lack of use can actually cause parts of your brain to weaken and atrophy. That can cause a certain degree of overall stress, which can impact your memory.
- Social isolation: Communication will become harder when you have a hard time hearing. Social isolation will often be the outcome, And isolation can bring about memory problems because, once again, your brain isn’t getting as much interaction as it used to. The brain will keep getting weaker the less it’s used. Social isolation, depression, and memory problems will, over time, develop.
Loss of memory is an Early Warning System For Your Body
Memory loss isn’t exclusive to hearing loss, of course. There are plenty of things that can cause your recollections to start getting fuzzy, including fatigue and illness (either mental or physical varieties). As an example, eating healthy and sleeping well can help help your memory.
This can be an example of your body putting up red flags. The red flags go up when things aren’t working properly. And having difficulty recollecting who said what in yesterday’s meeting is one of those red flags.
But these warnings can help you know when things are starting to go wrong with your hearing.
Memory Loss Often Indicates Hearing Loss
The symptoms and signs of hearing impairment can frequently be difficult to detect. Hearing loss is one of those slowly advancing ailments. Once you actually notice the associated symptoms, the damage to your hearing is generally more advanced than most hearing specialists would want. However, if you begin identifying symptoms related to memory loss and get an exam early, there’s a good possibility you can avoid some damage to your hearing.
Getting Your Memories Back
In situations where your memory has already been affected by hearing loss, whether it’s through social separation or mental exhaustion, the first step is to deal with the underlying hearing issue. The brain will be capable of getting back to its regular activity when it stops straining and struggling. It can take a few months for your brain to get used to hearing again, so be patient.
Loss of memory can be a practical warning that you need to keep your eye on the state of your hearing and protecting your ears. That’s a lesson to remember as you get older.
