Let’s be clear: there are a number of ways that you can maintain your mental acuteness and fend off disorders such as cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Remaining social is one of the most significant while participating in the workforce seems to be another. Whatever methods you employ to deal with cognitive decline, however, keeping your hearing strong and using hearing aids if you need them will be immensely helpful.
These conditions, according to numerous studies, are frequently directly connected to hearing loss. This article will outline the relationship between cognitive decline and hearing loss and how using hearing aids can reduce the likelihood of these conditions becoming an imminent problem.
How Hearing Loss Contributes to Cognitive Decline
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have conducted several studies over the years to determine the connection between cognitive decline and hearing loss. The same story was revealed by each study: cognitive decline was more prevalent with individuals who suffer from hearing loss. Actually, one study revealed that individuals with hearing loss were 24% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those with healthy hearing.
Hearing loss alone does not cause dementia, but there is a connection between these conditions. The leading theories indicate that your brain has to work overtime when you can’t properly process sounds. That means your brain is using more precious energy on fairly simple tasks, leaving a lot less of that energy for more challenging processes like cognitive function and memory.
Hearing loss can also have a serious impact on your mental health. Studies have shown that hearing loss is connected to depression, social isolation, anxiety, and might even affect schizophrenia. All of these conditions also produce cognitive decline – as noted above, one of the best ways to preserve your mental sharpness is to stay socially active. Frequently, people who have hearing loss will turn to self isolation because they feel self conscious in public. The lack of human interaction can produce the other mental health problems mentioned above and eventually lead to cognitive impairments.
Keeping Your Mental Faculties Sharp With Hearing Aids
One of the best resources we have to combat dementia and other cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s is hearing aids. Unfortunately, most people who require hearing aids don’t wear them. People may stay away from hearing aids because they’ve had a bad experience in the past or perhaps they hold some kind of stigma, but in fact, hearing aids have been shown to help people maintain their cognitive function by helping them hear better.
When your hearing is harmed for a prolonged amount of time, the brain may forget how to identify some common sounds and will have to relearn them. A hearing aid can either stop that scenario from happening in the first place or help you relearn those sounds, which will let your brain 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.