You can end up in the hospital if you don’t correctly treat your hearing loss symptoms. You may think that this is a bit of an exaggeration. Most people think of hearing loss as an inconvenience that makes it tough to hear the TV or what someone is saying at worst.
But the long-term health impacts of neglected hearing loss is beginning to get significant attention from researchers.
What Does Hearing Loss Have to do With Your Health?
At first glance, hearing loss doesn’t seem to have that much to do with other health indicators. But research carried out by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that untreated hearing loss can lead to a 50% increase in hospital visits over time. The risk of serious health problems rises the longer hearing loss remains untreated.
That seems like a curious finding: what does hearing have to do with your total health? That question can have a complicated answer.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Untreated hearing loss has been associated with a number of other health concerns, including:
- Balance balance issues. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and maintain situational focus.
- Memory can begin failing. In fact, your odds of getting dementia double with untreated hearing loss.
- An increase in anxiety and depression. Simply put, untreated hearing loss can increase depression and anxiety, which in turn can have a powerfully negative impact on your physical body, not to mention your mental health.
Hearing Aids: A Real Solution
There’s some good news though. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research reveals that up to 75% of the mental decline connected to hearing loss can be halted by one easy solution: using a hearing aid.
The health hazards connected to hearing loss can be seriously reduced by wearing hearing aids. According to the study, people who wore hearing aids for just two weeks saw:
- Brain function improvements.
- Reductions in severe brain injuries.
- Awareness and balance improvements.
The researchers from Johns Hopkins examined data from 77,000 patients collected over about two decades. And a critical part of maintaining your health lies in protecting your hearing which is a surprising conclusion. Taking care of your hearing health also benefits your finances, because being sick can be expensive.
Preserving Your Hearing And Your Health
Hearing loss is a perfectly common part of the aging process, although it’s not exclusive to getting older. Due to accidents, disease, and occupational hazards, hearing loss can occur at any age.
However, it’s important to address any hearing loss you may be noticing. Your health could depend on it.