Numerous studies have confirmed that hearing loss can have an influence on your brain. (Just take a look at some of our recent blog posts.) Hearing Aids, fortunately, have been shown to be able to help you recover some of that cognitive capacity.
We’re not claiming that you will become smarter just by using hearing aids. But there’s some compelling research that suggests hearing aids can increase cognitive abilities, lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.
Your Brain is in Charge of a Substantial Portion of Your Hearing
It’s important to recognize how big a part your brain plays in hearing if you are going to comprehend the link between your ears and cognition. It’s the brain’s job to transform sound vibrations into perceptible sound information. The parts of your brain that translate sound will suddenly have less to do when hearing starts to wane.
Alterations in your brain (and hearing), along with other factors (like social solitude), can lead to the onset of mental health problems. In people with neglected hearing loss, it’s not uncommon to notice an increase in the risks of anxiety, depression, and dementia.
Your essentially “treating” your hearing loss when you’re wearing hearing aids. That means:
- Because you’ll be able to couple your hearing aids with consistent screening and other treatments, you can help keep your hearing from becoming progressively worse.
- Your brain will stay healthier if it keeps doing work; your brain will be getting a more frequent workout in the parts responsible for hearing.
- Social alienation won’t be as likely. You will be more likely to participate with people if you’re able to hear and understand interactions.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids enhance your brain and your social life and can prevent depression, anxiety, and dementia.
- The health of your inner ear: Inner ear injury is not brought on by loss of hearing alone. But there is typically a common cause for both loss of hearing and inner ear damage. So treating the one can help you treat the other, and in many situations, a hearing aid is a part of that treatment regimen.
- New technology: Hearing aids have begun incorporating unique technology that can actually alert emergency contacts (or emergency services) when someone using the hearing aids experiences a fall. This might not prevent the fall to begin with, but it can prevent lasting injuries or complications due to the fall.
- Creating greater awareness: Occasionally, because you’re not mindful of your environment, you might have a fall. Your situational awareness can be severely hindered by hearing issues. Identifying which direction sound is coming from can be as difficult as hearing sound in general. Without treatment, this can wind up leading to injury or a fall.
Ultimately, when you’re using a hearing aid, you’re more likely to avoid a fall to start with. A hearing aid enhances your physical health and cognitive capability while carrying out the essential functions of keeping you more mindful, more focused, and more connected.
Start Wearing Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even touched on the fact that a hearing aid will also improve your hearing. So when you consider that amplified hearing, factor in the mental health advantages and physical well-being, it seems like wearing these devices should be a simple choice (not something you need to put your thinking cap on for).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. When your hearing fades away slowly, you might have a difficult time recognizing it. That’s the reason why it’s important to get your hearing examined regularly. Without hearing aids, hearing loss can worsen a number of of other health concerns.
Hearing aids will reduce the likelihood of physical injury while helping to slow dementia and depression. Aside from helping your hearing, hearing aids provide a remarkable number of advantages.