Numerous studies have proven that hearing loss can have an impact on your brain. (Some of our previous blogs clearly demonstrate that.) The good news is, it’s also been shown that you can regain some of that cognitive capacity by using hearing aids.
This is not to imply that hearing aids are somehow going to make you smarter. But there’s some compelling research that suggests hearing aids can increase cognitive abilities, lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.
Your Brain is in Charge of a Large Amount of Your Hearing
To understand the connection between cognition and your ears, it’s crucial to know that a significant percentage of your hearing actually happens in your brain. It’s the brain’s job to transform sound vibrations into perceptible sound information. The parts of the brain that decipher 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 trigger the beginning of mental health issues. In individuals with neglected hearing loss, it’s not uncommon to observe an increase in the chances for depression, anxiety, and dementia.
Your effectively “treating” your hearing loss when you’re using hearing aids. That means:
- You can stop your hearing from becoming worse by wearing hearing aids along with regular monitoring.
- Social alienation won’t be as likely. Conversations will be easier to understand and follow, so you’ll be more inclined to engage.
- The regions of your brain responsible for hearing will get regular workouts; the more your brain works, the healthier your brain stays.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids stimulate your brain and your social life and can lessen depression, anxiety, and dementia.
- The health of your inner ear: Loss of hearing by itself will not cause inner ear injury. But there is normally a common cause for both hearing loss and inner ear damage. At times, a hearing aid is part of the treatment program for hearing loss which can also help inner ear damage.
- Growing awareness: At times, you fall because you aren’t aware of your environment. Your situational awareness can be significantly hindered by hearing problems. Identifying which direction sound is coming from can be as challenging as hearing sound in general. A fall or other injury can be the consequence.
- State of the art technology: Hearing aids have begun incorporating novel technology that can actually alert emergency contacts (or emergency services) when a person wearing the hearing aids has a fall. This can prevent lasting injuries and complications although it won’t prevent the fall itself.
Ultimately, when you’re using a hearing aid, you’re more likely to steer clear of a fall to start with. A hearing aid helps you stay more alert, more perceptive, and more connected, boosting cognitive capabilities and general health at the same time.
Start Wearing Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even touched on the fact that a hearing aid can also help you hear. So it seems as if when you consider all of the positive aspects related to using hearing aids, it’s a no brainer. (Pretty obvious).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be difficult to recognize loss of hearing when it develops gradually over time. That’s the reason why getting a regular hearing exam is necessary. Without hearing aids, loss of hearing can exacerbate a wide variety of other health concerns.
The correct hearing aid can, in part, slow the beginning of depression and dementia, while decreasing the occurrences of certain physical incidents. Aside from helping your hearing, hearing aids provide a striking number of benefits.
