Hearing aids could benefit around 28 million people. Of course, when we talk about data like that, we normally mean that those 28 million individuals would hear their surroundings a little bit more clearly if they had some help (like hearing aids). But your hearing aids will also help you take advantage of some other health advantages.
Your mental and physical health can, as it turns out, be helped by something as straight forward as wearing hearing aids. Everything from depression to a risk of falling can be slowed or even prevented by these gadgets. Your hearing aids can literally keep you on your feet.
Mental Health Advantages of Hearing Aids
The link between neglected hearing loss and mental decline is pretty well demonstrated by modern medical research. Mental illnesses like depression, cognitive decline, anxiety, and dementia, according to current thinking, can be induced by hearing loss as a consequence of a mix of physical, mental and social factors.
So the mental health advantages of hearing aids shouldn’t be all that striking.
Dementia Risks Decreased
According to one study, wearing your hearing aids can help reduce your chances of developing dementia by as much as 18%. That’s a fantastic advantage when the only thing you have to do is remember to wear your hearing aids each day.
In other studies, the arrival of dementia was delayed by as much as two years by using hearing aids. Further research needs to be conducted to help explain and replicate these findings, but it’s definitely encouraging.
Reduce Anxiety And Depression
Depression and anxiety are not symptoms that are unique to people who have hearing loss. But there is plenty of evidence to indicate that those with hearing loss are at increased risk of developing both anxiety and depression as time goes on.
When you wear hearing aids, you are likely to stay more mentally focused and engaged socially. If those factors were contributing to depression and anxiety, they can help.
You’ll Feel Less Lonely
While dementia might sound much more extreme, for people who have untreated hearing loss, isolation can be a real issue, caused by and exacerbating a sense of social solitude. Your overall mood can be significantly influenced by social separation. So it can be a huge benefit if your hearing aids can help you continue to be socially active.
And this is an excellent reason why, for example, your hearing aid can help counter conditions such as depression. To a certain degree, all of these health conditions connect in some manner.
The Physical Advantages of Hearing Aids
As your hearing impairment worsens, there is some evidence that you might be at a higher risk of stroke. But this research is in preliminary stages. The most obvious (and perceptible) physical advantage of hearing aids is a little simpler: you’ll fall less frequently.
This happens for two reasons:
- Fall detection: Frequently, it’s getting back up after a fall that is the real hazard, not the fall itself. Many new models of hearing aids have fall detection as a standard feature. With certain settings enabled, when you have a fall, a call will immediately be made to one of your pre-programmed emergency contacts so they will know to check on you.
- Situational awareness: If your pet, for instance, is zooming out to greet you, you will be able to hear them coming and will be prepared for them to be running under your feet.
Falling can have very significant health effects, especially as you age. So your general health can be protected by decreasing damage from falls or preventing them altogether.
Wear Your Hearing Aids Everyday
These advantages, it’s worth pointing out, apply to people who suffer from hearing impairment. Hearing aids won’t, for instance, help somebody with healthy hearing avoid a fall.
But wearing your hearing aids, if you do have hearing loss, is the best thing you can do for overall health.