That hearing loss can impact your brain has been established in multiple studies. (Just look at some of our previous blog posts.) Luckily, it’s also been proven that you can restore some of that cognitive ability 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 increase cognitive abilities, lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.
You Do a Lot of Hearing With Your Brain
To understand the link between your ears and cognition, it’s crucial to realize that a significant portion of your hearing actually takes place in your brain. It’s the brain’s job to transform sound vibrations into recognizable sound information. The parts of your brain that translate sound will suddenly have less to do when hearing begins to diminish.
Changes in your brain (and hearing), coupled with other considerations (like social solitude), can result in the beginning of mental health problems. In individuals with untreated hearing loss, it’s not uncommon to notice an increase in the risks for depression, anxiety, and dementia.
When you wear hearing aids, you’re effectively “treating” your hearing loss. That means:
- You won’t be as likely to isolate yourself socially. Conversations will be easier to comprehend and follow, so you’ll be more likely to engage.
- Because you’ll be capable of coupling your hearing aids with routine screening and other treatments, you can help keep your hearing from becoming increasingly worse.
- The parts of your brain responsible for hearing will get regular workouts; the more your brain performs work, the healthier your brain stays.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids enhance your brain and your social life and can lessen dementia, depression, and anxiety.
- The health of your inner ear: Inner ear damage is not brought on by hearing loss alone. But there is normally a common cause for both hearing loss and damage to the inner ear. So treating the one can help you treat the other, and in some cases, a hearing aid is a part of that treatment regimen.
- Growing awareness: At times, you fall because you’re not aware of your environment. Diminished ability to hear can significantly reduce your situational awareness. Figuring out what direction sound is originating from can be as challenging as hearing sound in general. A fall or other injury can be the outcome.
- Cutting edge technology: Hearing aids have started incorporating novel technology that is able to notify emergency contacts (or emergency services) when someone using the hearing aids has a fall. This may not prevent the fall in the first place, but it can lessen lasting injuries or complications due to the fall.
Actually, you’re more likely to avoid a fall when you’re using hearing aids. A hearing aid enhances your physical health and cognitive ability while performing the essential tasks of helping you stay more aware, more alert, and more dialed in.
Stop Ignoring Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even yet discussed the fundamental hearing advantages of hearing aids. So when you consider that amplified hearing, include the mental health benefits and physical well-being, it seems as if using these devices should be an easy choice (Pretty obvious).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be challenging to recognize hearing loss when it occurs slowly over time. That’s the reason it’s important to get your hearing checked regularly. A wide variety of other health issues can be exacerbated by loss of hearing.
Hearing aids will minimize the possibility of physical damage while helping to slow dementia and depression. That’s an impressive combination of benefits that hearing aids offer, and they also help your hearing.