Make no mistake: there are a number of ways that you can preserve your mental acuteness and ward off conditions like dementia, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease. Staying socially active is one of the most important while participating in the workforce seems to be another. Regardless of the method, though, managing hearing loss through hearing aids makes these activities a great deal easier and contributes in its own way to combating cognitive problems.
Numerous studies show that the conditions listed above are all linked to untreated hearing loss. This article will outline the link between cognitive decline and hearing loss and how using hearing aids can minimize the likelihood of these conditions becoming an imminent problem.
The Link Between Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have conducted numerous studies over the years to examine the link between cognitive decline and hearing loss. The results of each study revealed the same story: cognitive decline was more prevalent with individuals who experience hearing loss. One study showed, in fact, that there was a 24% higher instance of Alzheimer’s in individuals who have impaired hearing.
Though dementia isn’t specifically caused by hearing loss there is certainly a link. When you can’t effectively process sound your brain has to work overtime according to leading theories. That means your brain is spending more valuable energy on relatively simple activities, leaving a lot less of that energy for more complicated processes like memory or cognitive functions.
Your mental health can also be seriously impacted by hearing loss. Research has shown that hearing loss is connected to anxiety, depression, and might even influence schizophrenia. All of these disorders also lead to cognitive decline – as noted above, one of the best ways to safeguard your mental acuity is to stay socially engaged. Often, people who have hearing loss will turn to self isolation because they feel self conscious around other people. The lack of human contact can produce the other mental health problems mentioned above and eventually lead to cognitive impairments.
How a Hearing Aid Can Help You Keep Your Resolution
Hearing aids are perhaps one of the best tools we have to preserve mental sharpness and fight disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The issue is that only one out of seven of the millions of people over the age of 50 who suffer from hearing loss actually use a hearing aid. People may stay away from hearing aids because they’ve had a bad experience in the past or perhaps they have some kind of stigma, but the fact is that they are proven to help people hear better and retain their cognitive functions for longer periods of time.
When your hearing is harmed for a prolonged amount of time, the brain may forget how to identify some common sounds and will have to relearn them. A hearing aid can either prevent that scenario from occurring in the first place or help you relearn those sounds, which will let your brain focus on other, more essential tasks.
Get in touch with us right away to learn what options are available to help you begin hearing better in this decade and beyond.