Chris has been a bit forgetful recently. She missed her doctor’s appointment for the second month in a row (time to reschedule again). And before she went to bed she even forgot to run the dishwasher (I guess this morning she will need to handwash her coffee cup). Things have been getting lost lately. Chris has been feeling mentally exhausted and depleted all the time but, curiously, she doesn’t feel forgetful.
Only after that feeling is sneaking up on you, will you start to realize it. But despite how forgetful you may feel, the trouble isn’t actually about memory. Your hearing is the actual issue. And that means you can substantially improve your memory by wearing one little device.
How to Improve Your All-around Cognitive Function And Memory
So, having a hearing exam is the first measure to improve your memory so you will not forget that dentist appointment and not forget anyone’s name in the next meeting. A typical hearing assessment will be able to find out if you have hearing loss and how severe any impairment might be.
Chris hasn’t detected any signs of hearing loss yet so she hesitates to make an appointment. She can hear in noisy rooms somewhat well enough. And she’s never had a tough time listening to any of her team members at work.
But she may have some amount of hearing loss even though she hasn’t observed any symptoms yet. Actually, one of the first signs of hearing impairment is memory loss. And it all involves brain strain. This is how it works:
- Slowly and nearly imperceptibly, your hearing begins to fade.
- Your ears detect a lack of sound, however mild.
- The sounds that you do hear, have to be amplified and translated which causes your brain to work extra hard.
- Everything seems to be normal, but it takes more work on your brain’s part to comprehend the sounds.
That amount of constant strain can be a real drag on your brain’s finite resources. So things like memory and cognitive function get pushed to the back.
Dementia And Hearing Loss
If you take loss of memory to its most obvious extremes, you could end up dealing with something like dementia. And there is a link between hearing loss and dementia, though what the actual cause-effect relationship is, continues to be somewhat uncertain. Still, people who have neglected hearing loss, over time, have a higher risk for going through cognitive decline, starting with some moderate memory loss and escalating to more serious cognitive problems.
Wearing Hearing Aids Will Help You Avoid Fatigue
That’s the reason why treating your hearing loss is essential. Significant increase in cognitive function was noted in 97.3% of people with hearing loss who used hearing aids for at least 18 months according to one study.
Similar benefits have been seen in several other studies. It’s unquestionably helpful to wear hearing aids. Your overall cognitive function improves when your brain doesn’t have to struggle as hard to hear. Sure, a hearing aid isn’t an absolute cure, cognitive decline or memory problems can be a complicated combination of factors and variables.
The First Symptom of Hearing Loss is Frequently Memory Loss
This sort of memory loss is commonly temporary, it’s an indication of exhaustion more than a fundamental change in the way your brain operates. But that can change if the fundamental problems remain un-addressed.
So if you’re recognizing some memory loss, it can be an early sign of hearing loss. When you first begin to detect those symptoms, you should schedule an appointment with your hearing professional. Your memory will probably go back to normal when your underlying hearing problems are addressed.
And your hearing will most likely get better also. A hearing aid can help slow the decline in your hearing. These little devices, in a sense, will enhance your general health not only your hearing.