Make no mistake: Keeping your mind clear and preventing cognitive disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s can be accomplished in numerous ways. Social engagement and involvement in the workforce are among the most significant. Whichever methods you employ to combat cognitive decline, however, keeping your hearing strong and using hearing aids if you need them will be immensely helpful.
Many studies show that the disorders listed above are all linked to untreated hearing loss. This article will outline the connection between cognitive decline and hearing loss and how using hearing aids can minimize the probability of these conditions becoming an impending issue.
How Hearing Loss Contributes to Cognitive Decline
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have conducted numerous studies over the years to determine the connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline. The same story was told by each study: cognitive decline was more prevalent with individuals who experience hearing loss. One study demonstrated, in fact, that there was a 24% higher instance of Alzheimer’s in people who have impaired hearing.
Even though dementia isn’t directly caused by hearing loss there is definitely a link. The leading theories suggest that your brain must work overtime when you can’t properly process sounds. That means your brain is using more precious energy on fairly simple activities, leaving a lot less of that energy for more challenging processes like memory or cognitive functions.
Hearing loss can also have a severe impact on your mental health. Anxiety, depression, and social isolation have all been linked to hearing loss and there could even be a connection with schizophrenia. All of these disorders also produce cognitive decline – as mentioned above, one of the optimum ways to safeguard your mental acuity is to remain socially engaged. Often, people who have hearing loss will resort to self isolation because they feel self conscious in public. The lack of human interaction can produce the other mental health issues mentioned above and potentially lead to cognitive impairments.
How a Hearing Aid Can Help You Safeguard Your Mental Faculties
One of the best tools we have to combat dementia and other cognition conditions such as Alzheimer’s is hearing aids. Sadly, most people who need hearing aids don’t use them. It may 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 protect their cognitive function by helping them hear better.
When your hearing is harmed for a prolonged amount of time, the brain could forget how to recognize some common sounds and will have to learn them all over again. A hearing aid can either stop that scenario from occurring in the first place or assist you in relearning those sounds, which will allow your brain to focus on other, more essential tasks.
Get in touch with us right away to find out what options are available to help you begin hearing better in this decade and beyond.