Last night, did you turn the volume up on your TV? It might be a sign of hearing loss if so. But you can’t quite remember and that’s a problem. And that’s been occurring more often, too. You couldn’t even remember what your new co-worker’s name was when you were at work yesterday. You met her recently, but still, it feels like you’re losing your grip on your memory and your hearing. And as you rack your brains, you can only formulate one common cause: aging.
Now, absolutely, age can be related to both hearing loss and memory failure. But it turns out these two age-associated symptoms are also related to each other. That might sound like bad news at first (not only do you have to deal with loss of hearing, you have to work around your waning memory too, wonderful). But the truth is, the link between memory and hearing loss can often be a blessing in disguise.
Memory And Hearing Loss – What’s The Link?
Your brain begins to get taxed from hearing loss before you even know you have it. Though the “spillover” effects may start out small, over time they can expand, encompassing your brain, your memory, even your social life.
How does a deficiency of your hearing affect so much of your brain? Well, there are a few distinct ways:
- Social isolation: When you have trouble hearing, you’ll likely experience some added struggles communicating. That can push some people to seclude themselves. Again, your brain is lacking vital interaction which can result in memory problems. When those (metaphorical) muscles aren’t used, they start to weaken. Social isolation, depression, and memory issues will, over time, set in.
- Constant strain: In the early phases of hearing loss especially, your brain is going to experience a type of hyper-activation fatigue. This happens because, even though there’s no actual input signal, your brain struggles to hear what’s happening in the world (your brain doesn’t know that you’re experiencing loss of hearing, it just thinks external sounds are really quiet, so it devotes a lot of energy trying to hear in that quiet environment). This can leave your brain (and your body) feeling exhausted. Memory loss and other problems can be the outcome.
- An abundance of quiet: Things will become quieter when your hearing begins to diminish (especially if your hearing loss is overlooked and neglected). For the parts of your brain that interprets sound, this can be quite dull. This boredom may not appear to be a serious problem, but lack of use can actually cause parts of your brain to atrophy or weaken. That can result in a certain degree of overall stress, which can interfere with your memory.
Loss of memory is an Early Warning System For Your Body
Obviously, having hearing loss isn’t the only thing that triggers memory loss. There are lots of things that can cause your memories to begin to get fuzzy, including illness or fatigue (either physical or mental forms). Eating better and sleeping well, for example, can usually increase your memory.
In this way, memory is sort of like the canary in the coal mine for your body. Your brain starts raising red flags when things aren’t working properly. And one of those red flags is forgetting what your friend said yesterday.
But these warnings can help you know when things are beginning to go wrong with your hearing.
Memory Loss Frequently Points to Hearing Loss
The symptoms and signs of hearing loss can frequently be difficult to notice. Hearing loss is one of those slowly advancing ailments. Damage to your hearing is usually worse than you would like by the time you actually observe the symptoms. However, if you begin noticing symptoms connected to memory loss and get checked out early, there’s a good possibility you can prevent some damage to your hearing.
Getting Your Memories Back
In situations where your memory has already been impacted by hearing loss, whether it’s through social isolation or mental fatigue, the first step is to manage the underlying hearing issue. The brain will be capable of getting back to its normal activity when it stops stressing and overworking. Be patient, it can take a bit for your brain to adjust to hearing again.
The red flags raised by your loss of memory could help you be a little more aware of protecting your hearing, or at least treating your hearing loss. That’s a lesson to remember as you get older.