Make no mistake: Keeping your mind sharp and preventing cognitive disorders including dementia and Alzheimer’s can be accomplished in numerous ways. Staying social is one of the most significant while engaging in the workforce appears to be another. No matter the method, though, managing hearing loss through hearing aids makes these activities a great deal easier and contributes in its own way to battling cognitive issues.
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 reduce the likelihood of these conditions becoming an imminent issue.
The Link Between Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have carried out several studies over the years to examine the link between cognitive decline and hearing loss. The results of each study told the same story: cognitive decline was more common with individuals who experience hearing loss. One study revealed, 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 connection. When you can’t properly process sound your brain has to work harder according to leading theories. That means that activities such as memory and cognition, which require more energy, can’t function at full capacity because your brain has to use so much of that energy on more basic tasks.
Your mental health can also be significantly impacted by hearing loss. Anxiety, depression, and social isolation have all been associated with hearing loss and there may even be a connection with schizophrenia. All of these conditions also produce cognitive decline – as noted above, one of the best ways to maintain your mental acuity is to remain socially engaged. Often, people who have hearing loss will turn to self isolation because they feel self conscious around other people. The mental issues listed above are commonly the outcome of the lack of human interaction and can ultimately produce serious cognitive decline.
How a Hearing Aid Can Help You Keep Your Resolution
One of the best tools we have to fight dementia and other cognition disorders such as Alzheimer’s is hearing aids. Sadly, the majority of people who require hearing aids don’t wear them. It might be a stigma or a previous negative experience that keeps people using hearing aids, but in fact, hearing aids have been shown to help people preserve their cognitive function by helping them hear better.
There are situations where certain sounds will need to be relearned because they’ve been forgotten after extended hearing damage. A hearing aid can either stop that scenario from occurring in the first place or assist you in relearning those sounds, which will permit your brain to focus on other, more essential tasks.
If you want to find out what options are available to help you begin hearing better give us a call.