Several studies have confirmed that hearing loss can have an influence on your brain. (Some of our other blogs clearly show that.) Hearing Aids, luckily, have been proven to be able to help you regain some of that cognitive capacity.
This is not saying that hearing aids are in some manner going to make you smarter. But there’s some compelling research that suggests cognitive ability can be enhanced by using hearing aids lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.
You Carry Out a Lot of Hearing With Your Brain
It’s important to recognize how large a part your brain plays in hearing if you are going to comprehend the link between cognition and your ears. That’s where the vibrations of the world are converted into the sounds of your surroundings. So as your hearing wanes, the regions of your brain that interpret those sounds suddenly have much less to do.
Alterations in your brain (and hearing), coupled with other considerations (such as social solitude), can trigger the beginning of mental health problems. In persons with neglected hearing loss, it’s not uncommon to observe an increase in the risks for depression, anxiety, and dementia.
When you wear hearing aids, you’re essentially “treating” your hearing loss. That means:
- You won’t be as likely to isolate yourself socially. Interactions will be easier to understand and follow, so you’ll be more likely to participate.
- You can stop your hearing from becoming worse by wearing hearing aids in conjunction with regular screening.
- The regions of your brain responsible for hearing will get regular workouts; the more your brain works, the healthier your brain will be.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids can counter dementia, anxiety, and depression because they enhance your brain and your social life.
- New technology: Hearing aids have started integrating novel technology that can actually alert emergency contacts (or emergency services) when someone using the hearing aids has a fall. This might not stop the fall to begin with, but it can lessen lasting injuries or complications caused by the fall.
- Creating better awareness: Sometimes, because you’re not aware of your surroundings, you could have a fall. Your situational awareness can be significantly hindered by hearing problems. Identifying what direction sound is coming from can be as difficult as hearing sound in general. Without treatment, this can end up causing a fall or injury.
- Inner ear health: Inner ear injury is not caused by loss of hearing alone. Notwithstanding, sometimes loss of hearing and inner ear issues have a common cause. So treating the one can help you treat the other, and in certain circumstances, a hearing aid is a part of that treatment regimen.
The fact remains, you have a higher chance of avoiding a fall when you’re using hearing aids. A hearing aid helps you stay more alert, more aware, and more connected, increasing cognitive capabilities and physical health simultaneously.
Stop Neglecting Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even yet dealt with the basic hearing advantages of hearing aids. So it seems like when you factor in all of the benefits associated with wearing hearing aids, it’s a no brainer. (not something you need to overthink).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be challenging to identify loss of hearing when it arises slowly over time. That’s the reason why it’s crucial to have your hearing examined routinely. A wide variety of other health problems can be aggravated by loss of hearing.
The right hearing aid can, in part, slow the onset of depression and dementia, while lessening the occurrences of certain physical injuries. That’s a striking combination of benefits that hearing aids provide, and they also help you hear.