Let’s be clear: Keeping your mind sharp and preventing cognitive conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s can be accomplished in a number of ways. Staying socially active is one of the most essential while engaging in the workforce appears to be another. Whatever methods you employ to combat cognitive decline, however, keeping your hearing strong and wearing hearing aids if you need them will be extremely helpful.
These conditions, according to many studies, are frequently directly connected to hearing loss. This article will outline the connection between cognitive decline and hearing loss and how using hearing aids can reduce the likelihood of these conditions becoming an impending problem.
The Link Between Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have conducted several studies over the years to determine the link between cognitive decline and hearing loss. The same story was revealed by each study: cognitive decline was more common with people who suffer from hearing loss. One study revealed, in fact, that there was a 24% higher instance of Alzheimer’s in individuals who have diminished hearing.
Hearing loss by itself does not cause dementia, but there is a link between these conditions. When you can’t properly process sound your brain has to work overtime according to leading theories. That means your brain is using more precious energy on fairly simple activities, leaving a lot less of that energy for more complicated processes like cognitive function and memory.
Your mental health can also be significantly affected by hearing loss. Anxiety, depression, and social isolation have all been associated with hearing loss and there could even be a connection with schizophrenia. Remaining socially active, as noted, is the best way to safeguard your mental health and preserve your cognitive clarity. In many instances, hearing loss causes people to feel self-conscious out in public, which means they’ll turn to isolation instead. The mental issues mentioned above are commonly the result of the lack of human interaction and can inevitably lead to serious cognitive decline.
Keeping Your Mental Faculties Sharp With Hearing Aids
One of the best resources we have to fight dementia and other cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s is hearing aids. Unfortunately, the majority of people who need hearing aids don’t use them. It may be a stigma or a previous bad experience that keeps people using hearing aids, but in fact, hearing aids have been proven to help people maintain their cognitive function by helping them hear better.
When your hearing is damaged for a prolonged amount of time, the brain may forget how to recognize some common sounds and will have to learn them all over again. It’s essential to let your brain get back to processing more important tasks and hearing aids can do just that by stopping this issue in the first place and helping you relearn any sounds the brain has forgotten.
If you want to learn what options are available to help you start hearing better give us a call.