Chris has been somewhat forgetful lately. For two months in a row, she missed her doctor’s appointment and needs to reschedule. And she even forgot to run the dishwasher before bed (looks as if she’ll be handwashing her coffee cup this morning). Things have been slipping through the cracks. Strangely, Chris doesn’t necessarily feel forgetful…she just feels mentally drained and fatigued all the time.
Only after that feeling is sneaking up on you, will you start to realize it. Frequently, though, the issue isn’t your memory, in spite of how forgetful you might appear. Your hearing is the actual issue. And that means you can considerably improve your memory by wearing one little device.
How to Enhance Your Overall Cognitive Function And Memory
So, getting a hearing test is the first measure to enhance your memory so you will remember that dentist appointment and will remember everyone’s name in the next meeting. A standard hearing evaluating will be able to determine if you have hearing loss and how bad any impairment may be.
Chris hasn’t detected any signs of hearing loss yet so she hesitates to make an appointment. She doesn’t really have an issue hearing in a noisy room. And she’s never had a difficult time hearing any of her team members at work.
But just because her symptoms aren’t recognizable doesn’t mean that they aren’t present. In fact, one of the first symptoms of hearing impairment is loss of memory. And strain on the brain is the base cause. It works like this:
- Your hearing begins to fade, probably so slowly you don’t realize.
- Your ears notice a lack of sound, however slight.
- Your brain starts working a little bit harder to translate and boost the sounds you are able to hear.
- You can’t notice any real difference but in order to make sense of sound your brain needs to work extra hard.
Your brain only has so much processing power which can really be dragged down by that sort of burden. So things like memory and cognitive function take a back seat.
Hearing Loss And Dementia
If you take loss of memory to its most logical extremes, you could end up looking at something like dementia. And hearing loss and dementia do have a connection, though what the precise cause-effect relationship is, continues to be rather uncertain. Still, those with neglected hearing loss, over time, have a higher risk for having cognitive decline, starting with some moderate memory loss and escalating to more serious cognitive issues.
Hearing Aids And Warding Off Fatigue
This is why it’s essential to manage your hearing loss. Marked improvement of cognitive function was observed in 97.3% of individuals with hearing loss who wore hearing aids for at least 18 months according to one study.
A variety of other studies have shown similar benefits. Hearing aids are really helpful. When your brain doesn’t have to work quite as hard, your overall cognitive function gets better. Memory loss and issues with cognitive function can have many intricate factors and hearing aids aren’t always a magic bullet.
The First Symptom of Hearing Loss is Often Memory Loss
This type of memory loss is mostly because of mental exhaustion and is normally temporary. But if the underlying issues are not dealt with, that can change.
So if you’re noticing some memory loss, it can be an early sign of hearing loss. When you first begin to notice those symptoms, you should schedule an appointment with your hearing specialist. Your memory will most likely go back to normal when your fundamental hearing issues are addressed.
As an added bonus, your hearing health will likely get better, as well. The decline in your hearing will be slowed considerably by using hearing aids. In a sense, your total wellness, not only your memory, could be improved by these little devices.