An older person with an old-fashioned hearing aid saying “what’s that sonny”, is what most people think of when hearing loss is mentioned. Having an effect on more than just your ability to hear, hearing loss has risen dramatically among all age groups. If it goes untreated it can cause startling repercussions. These four by themselves make it worth having your hearing checked.
1. Mental Decline
There is a connection between hearing loss and other health problems, though you might not have previously been aware of them. Your cognitive function and brain health are the most serious example. Some conditions generally connected to aging are actually caused by hearing loss.
The brain’s natural ability to adjust to sensory changes backfires when it comes to hearing. For a person with normal hearing, a sound is processed through the inner ear in a way that the brain can understand. The difference between the music playing on your car radio and the music the ice cream truck plays as it heads down the street is processed by this mechanism.
The brain encounters sound each microsecond whether you think you are hearing something or not. If you are sitting in a quiet room, there is still ambient noise around you, like the hiss of air blowing through the AC vent. You don’t even notice it because your brain filters it out.
This stimulus is something the brain comes to count on. Suddenly, when there is loss of hearing, the brain doesn’t get the same quality or quantity of sound. It still expects it to be there, though and strains to hear it. The fatigue on the brain and absence of stimuli can bring about cognitive decline that raises your risk of dementia later in life. Studies have shown that memory loss and cognitive decline is about 40 percent higher in seniors with hearing loss. Even more compelling is the fact that people have been shown to increase their cognitive ability if they have hearing loss and get hearing aids.
2. Stomach Trouble
That seems like it might seem far-fetched, but it’s not. Hearing loss leads to changes which are connected to:
- Anxiety
- Upset stomach
- Muscle tension
The constant stress can manifest intestinal issues like:
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal cramps
- Constipation
More serious conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome will occur as your discomfort increases.
3. Mental Health Problems
Probably, the most obvious side effect is the impact hearing loss has on your mental health. A 2014 study found that an increase in depression correlates to the loss of hearing in adults below the age of 70.
Research published in the JAMA Otolaryngology Neck Surgery found people who suffer from untreated hearing loss have a hard time communicating with others and that probably is the reason for the depression. The research indicates that for women between the ages of 18 to 69 the depression is more pronounced.
Over the years, the neglected hearing loss has been linked to many mental health problems like:
- Anger
- Irritability
- Social withdrawal
- Negativism
- Lack of focus
Psychological anxiety and depression are the result when someone can’t communicate successfully and stops trying.
4. Relationship Troubles
Hearing loss impacts more than just your physical and mental health. People with poor hearing statistically make less money. A 2007 study conducted by the Better Hearing Institute found 20,000 dollars per year less is made by individuals with hearing loss in comparison to their hearing colleagues.
Personal relationships also suffer because of hearing loss. A 2007 survey found 35 percent of the respondents had a hard time maintaining relationships if they suffered from hearing loss. The survey showed:
- Thirty-seven percent of women surveyed reported being irritated when someone who has hearing loss wasn’t listening to them
- Thirty-five percent of men reported they agreed to treatment for hearing loss because their spouse or partner pressured them into it
- Forty-three percent of men indicated that they had trouble with relationships due to their hearing loss
- Most women indicated relationships with family members and friends were a significant concern with the hearing loss
Hearing loss has an effect on your relationships as well as your health and your self-esteem. The good news is many of these side effects disappear or lesson when you get help like hearing aids. Make an appointment with a hearing care specialist to find out what solution works best for you.