That hearing loss can affect your brain has been confirmed in numerous studies. (Some of our other blogs clearly demonstrate that.) Hearing Aids, luckily, have been shown to be capable of helping you restore some of that cognitive capacity.
This is not to say that hearing aids are in some way going to make you more intelligent. But there’s some compelling research that suggests hearing aids can improve cognitive abilities, lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.
You Do a Lot of Hearing With Your Brain
It’s essential to recognize how significant a part your brain plays in hearing if you are going to understand the link between your ears and cognition. That’s where the vibrations of the world are transformed into the sounds of your surroundings. So as your hearing wanes, the regions of your brain that interpret those sounds suddenly have much less to do.
Alterations in your brain (and hearing), along with other factors (like social isolation), can lead to the beginning of mental health problems. In persons with untreated hearing loss, it’s not unusual to notice an increase in the chances of anxiety, depression, and dementia.
Your essentially “treating” your hearing loss when you’re wearing hearing aids. That means:
- Your brain will stay healthier if it continues working; your brain will be getting a more frequent workout in the parts responsible for hearing.
- Social alienation will be less likely. Conversations will be easier to understand and follow, so you’ll be more inclined to participate.
- Because you’ll be capable of coupling your hearing aids with routine monitoring and other treatments, you can help keep your hearing from getting progressively worse.
Staying Attentive
Hearing aids can lessen dementia, anxiety, and depression because they enhance your brain and your social life.
- Modern technology: Some contemporary hearing aids, when someone has a fall, can immediately alert emergency services. This may not prevent the fall to begin with, but it can lessen lasting injuries or complications due to the fall.
- Creating better awareness: Occasionally, you fall because you’re not aware of your surroundings. Your situational awareness can be significantly hampered by hearing issues. Not only can it be difficult to hear sounds, but it can also be a challenge to figure out which direction sounds are originating from. Without treatment, this can wind up causing injury or a fall.
- Inner ear health: Inner ear injury is not caused by loss of hearing alone. Notwithstanding, sometimes hearing loss and inner ear issues have a common cause. So treating the one can help you treat the other, and in many circumstances, a hearing aid is a component of that treatment routine.
Ultimately, when you’re using a hearing aid, you’re more likely to avoid a fall to begin with. A hearing aid helps you stay more alert, more mindful, and more tuned in, strengthening cognitive abilities and physical health simultaneously.
Stop Ignoring Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even addressed the fact that a hearing aid can also improve your hearing. So it seems like when you factor in all of the positive aspects linked to wearing hearing aids, it’s a no brainer. (not something you need to put your thinking cap on for).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be difficult to recognize loss of hearing when it happens gradually over time. That’s the reason it’s critical to have your hearing checked on a regular basis. Without hearing aids, hearing loss can exacerbate a number of of other health concerns.
The ideal hearing aid can, in part, slow the onset of depression and dementia, while decreasing the incidents of some physical incidents. Aside from helping you hear, hearing aids provide a surprising number of benefits.