That loss of hearing can impact your brain has been confirmed in multiple studies. (Just have a look at some of our previous blog posts.) The good news is, it’s also been confirmed that you can restore some of that cognitive ability by using hearing aids.
This is not saying that hearing aids are in some way going to make you more intelligent. But there’s some compelling research that suggests cognitive ability can be increased by using hearing aids lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.
You Carry Out a Lot of Hearing With Your Brain
To understand the link between cognition and your ears, it’s crucial to realize that a substantial portion of your hearing actually takes place in your brain. That’s where the vibrations of the world are transformed into the sounds of your environment. The parts of your brain that translate sound will suddenly have less to do when hearing begins to diminish.
Alterations in your brain (and hearing), coupled with other factors (like social solitude), can result in the beginning of mental health issues. Depression, dementia, and anxiety are far more evident in people who have neglected hearing loss.
Your effectively “treating” your hearing loss when you’re using hearing aids. That means:
- Your brain stays healthier if it continues working; your brain will be getting a more consistent workout in the parts responsible for hearing.
- You can stop your hearing from getting worse by using hearing aids together with regular monitoring.
- Social solitude won’t be as likely. You will be more likely to engage with others if you can hear and understand interactions.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids can counter dementia, anxiety, and depression because they enhance your brain and your social life.
- The health of your inner ear: Loss of hearing in and of itself will not trigger inner ear damage. But there is typically a common cause for both loss of hearing and inner ear damage. Sometimes, a hearing aid is a component of the treatment strategy for loss of hearing which can also help inner ear injury.
- Creating greater awareness: At times, you fall because you aren’t aware of your surroundings. Your situational awareness can be seriously hampered by hearing conditions. Not only can it be challenging to hear sounds, but it can also be a challenge to determine what direction sounds are originating from. Without treatment, this can wind up causing a fall or injury.
- Modern technology: Hearing aids have begun containing unique technology that is able to notify emergency contacts (or emergency services) when a person using the hearing aids has a fall. This may not prevent the fall to begin with, but it can lessen long-lasting injuries or complications caused by the fall.
Ultimately, when you’re using a hearing aid, you’re more likely to avoid a fall in the first place. A hearing aid enhances your physical health and cognitive ability while performing the important tasks of keeping you more mindful, more focused, and more connected.
Start Using Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even touched on the fact that a hearing aid will also improve your hearing. So it seems as if when you consider all of the positive aspects related to wearing 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 identify hearing loss when it happens slowly over time. That’s the reason why having a regular hearing test is essential. A wide range of other health concerns can be aggravated by hearing loss.
The right hearing aid can, in part, slow the beginning of depression and dementia, while decreasing the incidents of some physical incidents. Besides helping your hearing, hearing aids offer a striking number of benefits.
