That loss of hearing can affect your brain has been confirmed in several studies. (Some of our other blogs clearly show that.) The good news is, it’s also been verified that you can regain some of that cognitive capacity by using hearing aids.
We’re not claiming that you will become more intelligent just by wearing hearing aids. But there’s some compelling research that suggests hearing aids can improve cognitive abilities, lowering your risk for anxiety, depression, and dementia.
Your Brain is in Charge of a Large Portion of Your Hearing
To comprehend the link between cognition and your ears, it’s crucial to know that a significant portion of your hearing actually happens in your brain. It’s the brain’s job to transform sound vibrations into recognizable sound information. So as your hearing diminishes, the regions of your brain that decipher those sounds suddenly have much less to do.
When combined with other variables (like social solitude), the alterations in your brain (and hearing) can lead to the onset of certain mental health problems. Depression, dementia, and anxiety are a lot more obvious in individuals who have neglected hearing loss.
When you use hearing aids, you’re essentially “treating” your hearing loss. That means:
- Your brain will stay healthier if it continues doing work; your brain will be getting a more frequent workout in the parts responsible for hearing.
- Social solitude will be less likely. You will be more likely to participate with people if you can hear and understand interactions.
- You can keep your hearing from getting worse by using hearing aids in conjunction with regular screening.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids enhance your brain and your social life and can prevent depression, anxiety, and dementia.
- Inner ear health: Loss of hearing in and of itself will not trigger inner ear injury. But there is often a common cause for both hearing loss and inner ear damage. At times, a hearing aid is a component of the treatment strategy for hearing loss which can also assist with inner ear injury.
- New technology: Hearing aids have started containing unique technology that is able to alert emergency contacts (or emergency services) when someone wearing the hearing aids has a fall. This may not prevent the fall to begin with, but it can prevent long-lasting injuries or complications caused by the fall.
- Creating stronger awareness: Occasionally, because you aren’t mindful of your environment, you may have a fall. Decreased ability to hear can substantially reduce your situational awareness. 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 end up leading to a fall or injury.
Inevitably, when you’re wearing a hearing aid, you’re more likely to steer clear of a fall to start with. A hearing aid improves your physical health and your cognitive ability while performing the essential tasks of helping you stay more aware, more alert, and more dialed in.
Stop Neglecting Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even yet dealt with the basic hearing benefits of hearing aids. So when you take into consideration that amplified hearing, include the mental health benefits and physical well-being, it seems as if wearing these devices would be an easy decision (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 hard to identify loss of hearing when it develops gradually over time. That’s why it’s essential to get your hearing examined routinely. Without hearing aids, hearing loss can exacerbate a wide range of other health problems.
Hearing aids will lessen the likelihood of physical injury while helping to delay dementia and depression. Aside from helping you hear, hearing aids provide a surprising number of advantages.