Several studies have proven that hearing loss can have an impact on your brain. (Just look at some of our past blog posts.) Hearing Aids, luckily, have been proven to be capable of helping you restore some of that cognitive ability.
This is not to say that hearing aids are somehow going to make you smarter. But there’s some compelling research that suggests hearing aids can increase cognitive abilities, lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.
You Accomplish a Lot of Hearing With Your Brain
It’s important to recognize how big 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 environment. So as your hearing wanes, the parts of your brain that decipher those sounds suddenly have much less to do.
Alterations in your brain (and hearing), coupled with other factors (such as social alienation), can trigger the onset of mental health problems. Depression, dementia, and anxiety are a lot more evident in people who have neglected hearing loss.
When you wear hearing aids, you’re essentially “treating” your hearing loss. That means:
- The regions of your brain responsible for hearing will get regular workouts; the more your brain performs work, the healthier your brain will be.
- You can stop your hearing from becoming worse by using hearing aids together with regular monitoring.
- Social isolation won’t be as likely. You will be more likely to engage with others if you’re able to hear and understand interactions.
Keeping You on Your Toes
Hearing aids enhance your brain and your social life and can prevent depression, anxiety, and dementia.
- Boosting awareness: At times, because you aren’t aware of your environment, you could have a fall. Diminished hearing ability can substantially reduce your situational awareness. Determining what direction sound is coming from can be as challenging as hearing sound in general. A fall or other injury can be the result.
- Cutting edge technology: Hearing aids have started integrating novel technology that can actually notify emergency contacts (or emergency services) when a person wearing the hearing aids experiences a fall. This can minimize long term injuries and complications though it won’t prevent the fall itself.
- Inner ear health: Loss of hearing by itself will not cause inner ear injury. However, sometimes loss of hearing and inner ear issues have a common cause. So treating the one can help you treat the other, and in some cases, a hearing aid is a part of that treatment routine.
The fact is, you have a higher chance of avoiding a fall when you’re wearing hearing aids. A hearing aid helps you stay more alert, more mindful, and more tuned in, increasing cognitive attributes and physical health in the process.
Start Using Your Hearing Aid
We haven’t even touched on the fact that a hearing aid will also improve your hearing. So it seems like when you factor in all of the positive aspects related to using hearing aids, it’s a no brainer. (Pretty obvious).
The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be challenging to identify hearing loss when it develops slowly over time. That’s the reason why it’s significant to have your hearing examined on a regular basis. Without hearing aids, loss of hearing can worsen a wide variety of other health concerns.
Hearing aids will minimize the likelihood of physical injury while helping to slow dementia and depression. That’s a stunning mix of advantages that hearing aids offer, and they also help you hear.