Multiple studies have confirmed that hearing loss can have an influence on your brain. (Just have a look at some of our past blog posts.) The good news is, it’s also been shown that you can restore some of that cognitive ability through hearing aids.
This is not to say that hearing aids are in some way going to make you smarter. But there’s some compelling research that suggests cognitive ability can be increased by wearing hearing aids lowering your risk for anxiety, depression, and dementia.
You Accomplish a Lot of Hearing With Your Brain
To comprehend the link between your ears and cognition, it’s important to know that a considerable portion of your hearing actually happens in your brain. That’s where the vibrations of the world are transformed into the sounds of your surroundings. The parts of your brain that decipher sound will suddenly have less to do when hearing begins to wane.
When combined with other factors (like social solitude), the alterations in your brain (and hearing) can trigger the onset of specific mental health issues. Depression, dementia, and anxiety are much more obvious in people who have untreated hearing loss.
Your effectively “treating” your hearing loss when you’re using hearing aids. That means:
- Social isolation won’t be as likely. You will be more likely to participate with others if you’re able to hear and understand conversations.
- Because you’ll be able to couple your hearing aids with regular screening and other treatment options, you can help keep your hearing from becoming progressively worse.
- The parts of your brain responsible for hearing will get a more consistent workout; the more your brain works, the healthier your brain stays.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids enhance your brain and your social life and can lessen dementia, depression, and anxiety.
- Creating better awareness: Sometimes, because you’re not aware of your environment, you may have a fall. Your situational awareness can be severely hampered by hearing conditions. Not only can it be difficult to hear sounds, but it can also be challenging to ascertain what direction sounds are originating from. A fall or other injury can be the outcome.
- Modern technology: Hearing aids have started incorporating unique technology that is able to notify emergency contacts (or emergency services) when a person using the hearing aids has a fall. This can minimize long lasting injuries and complications although it won’t stop the fall itself.
- The health of your inner ear: Loss of hearing by itself will not result in inner ear injury. Notwithstanding, sometimes hearing loss and inner ear damage have a common cause. Sometimes, a hearing aid is a component of the treatment strategy for loss of hearing which can also help inner ear damage.
Inevitably, when you’re wearing a hearing aid, you’re more likely to avoid a fall in the first place. A hearing aid keeps you more alert, more mindful, and more tuned in, improving cognitive attributes and general health in the process.
Start Wearing Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even addressed the fact that a hearing aid will also help you hear. So when you consider that amplified hearing, factor in the mental health benefits and physical well-being, it seems like wearing these devices should be a simple decision (Pretty obvious).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. When your hearing disappears slowly, you may have a hard time noticing. That’s the reason why getting a normal hearing assessment is essential. Without hearing aids, loss of hearing can worsen a wide range of other health concerns.
Hearing aids will reduce the likelihood of physical damage while helping to delay dementia and depression. Aside from helping you hear, hearing aids offer a remarkable number of benefits.
