Multiple studies have verified that hearing loss can have an influence on your brain. (Just take a look at some of our previous blog posts.) Luckily, it’s also been verified that you can recover some of that cognitive capacity through hearing aids.
This is not to say that hearing aids are somehow going to make you smarter. But there’s some compelling research that suggests hearing aids can increase cognitive abilities, lowering your risk for anxiety, depression, and dementia.
Your Brain is in Charge of a Substantial Portion of Your Hearing
To comprehend the connection between your ears and cognition, it’s important to know that a significant portion of your hearing actually happens in your brain. It’s the brain’s job to convert sound vibrations into perceptible sound information. So as your hearing wanes, the regions of your brain that interpret those sounds suddenly have a lot less to do.
When combined with other factors (such as social isolation), the alterations in your brain (and hearing) can lead to the onset of specific mental health problems. In people with untreated hearing loss, it’s not uncommon to notice an increase in the risks for anxiety, depression, and dementia.
Your essentially “treating” your hearing loss when you’re using hearing aids. That means:
- You can stop your hearing from getting worse by using hearing aids alongside regular screening.
- You’ll be less likely to isolate yourself socially. You will be more likely to engage with others if you can hear and understand discussions.
- The parts of your brain responsible for hearing will get regular workouts; the more your brain works, the healthier your brain will be.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids enhance your brain and your social life and can prevent dementia, depression, and anxiety.
- New technology: Hearing aids have begun incorporating unique technology that is able to alert emergency contacts (or emergency services) when someone wearing the hearing aids has a fall. This might not stop the fall to begin with, but it can lessen long-lasting injuries or complications due to the fall.
- The health of your inner ear: Loss of hearing in and of itself will not trigger inner ear injury. Notwithstanding, sometimes hearing loss and inner ear problems have a common cause. At times, a hearing aid is a component of the treatment program for loss of hearing which can also assist with inner ear damage.
- Increasing awareness: Sometimes, you fall because you aren’t aware of your surroundings. Your situational awareness can be severely hindered by hearing problems. Not only can it be challenging to hear sounds, but it can also be challenging to determine what direction sounds are originating from. A fall or other injury can be the result.
To be honest, you’re more likely to avoid a fall when you’re wearing hearing aids. A hearing aid helps you stay more alert, more aware, and more connected, enhancing cognitive attributes and general health in the process.
Start Using Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even addressed the fact that a hearing aid can also improve your hearing. So when you take into consideration that amplified hearing, include the mental health benefits and physical well-being, it seems like using these devices would be a simple choice (Pretty obvious).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be hard to identify hearing loss when it arises slowly over time. That’s the reason why getting a regular hearing test is essential. Without hearing aids, hearing loss can exacerbate a wide range of other health issues.
Hearing aids will reduce the chances of physical damage while helping to delay dementia and depression. Besides helping your hearing, hearing aids offer a striking number of benefits.