You can end up in the hospital if you don’t correctly manage your hearing loss symptoms. I know that seems like an exaggeration. We’re used to thinking of hearing loss as little more than an inconvenience – something that makes the news a little harder to hear or, at worst, makes you unwittingly agree to something you didn’t mean.
But the long-term health effects of neglected hearing loss is beginning to get significant attention from researchers.
How is Your Health Related to Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss doesn’t, at first sight, seem like it has much of a connection to other health concerns. But research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that over time, visits to the hospital can increase by up to 50% for somebody with untreated hearing loss. The longer the hearing loss goes untreated, the more significant the health havoc becomes.
That seems like a curious finding: how is your overall state of health related to your ability to hear? That question can have a complicated answer.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Untreated hearing loss has been linked to a number of other health issues, including:
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it harder to keep your balance and keep your situational awareness.
- You begin to lose your memory. As a matter of fact, your odds of developing dementia double with neglected hearing loss.
- An increase in anxiety and depression. Basically, the chance of anxiety and depression rises with hearing loss and that will bring about health problems both physical and mental.
Hearing Aids: An effective Solution
It’s not all gloom and doom, however. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research indicates that up to 75% of hearing loss associated cognitive decline can be halted by one basic solution: using a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a powerful impact on putting an end to the dangers linked to untreated hearing loss. The following improvements were revealed in individuals who wore hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Balance and awareness improvements.
- Traumatic brain injury reductions.
- Improvements in brain function.
Over a period of around two decades, Johns Hopkins collected and analyzed data from more than 77,000 individuals. And the conclusion is staggeringly simple: protecting your hearing is essential to preserving your health. Taking care of your hearing health also helps your financial well-being, because being sick costs money.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is a perfectly normal part of getting older, although it’s not exclusive to getting older. Hearing loss can develop at any age as a result of occupational hazards, accidents, or diseases.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s very important to deal with it. Your health could depend on it.
