Did you know that October is Audiology Awareness Month? This means there’s no better time to reach out to your local audiologist to get a hearing test. We review the reasons you shouldn’t wait any longer to seek treatment below.
Untreated Hearing Loss Is Linked to Dementia
According to research by Johns Hopkins, those with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those with normal hearing. In addition, those with moderate hearing loss are three times as likely and those with severe hearing loss are five times as likely. This translates to a 30-40% faster rate of decline and significant impairment 3.2 years sooner.
Fortunately, hearing aids can help. Researchers theorize that hearing aids can prevent or delay a dementia diagnosis.
Hearing Loss Changes Your Brain
There are several theories about how hearing loss and dementia are linked, and one is that hearing loss actually changes your brain. This is because your brain is accustomed to receiving a certain amount of auditory information to make sense of the world. When this information is missing, other parts of the brain are reassigned to try and help you hear, leading fewer cognitive resources for memory and problem solving.
Hearing Loss Causes Stress, Anxiety & Depression
Another way hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline and affect your overall quality of life is it causes stress, anxiety and depression. When you can’t hear well, it’s stressful to try to keep up with conversations. In addition, you may feel anxiety about mishearing someone and responding inappropriately at a party at Water Grill San Diego. This can ultimately lead to social withdrawal, a well-known risk factor for both depression and dementia.
Again, hearing aids can help. One study found that use of hearing aids is associated with a delayed diagnosis of depression and anxiety among older adults.
The Benefits of Hearing Aids
Today’s hearing aids aren’t like the devices your parents or grandparents wore. They’re designed with aesthetics in mind and are built to be small and sleek. They also offer more features than ever before, boasting incredible abilities such as:
- Bluetooth compatibility.
- Smartphone connectivity.
- Telecoils.
- Rechargeability.
- Automatic programming.
- Background noise reduction.
- Directional microphones.
For more information about today’s hearing aids or to schedule an appointment with a hearing expert, call San Diego ENT today.