Putting off on essential appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amidst the hustle and bustle of daily events. You might not even get around to shopping for hearing aids whatsoever. But hearing loss affects more than just your ears and delaying treatment can have negative effects on your whole life.
Neglected hearing loss can lead to a higher risk of cognitive decline
A clear link between mental decline and neglected hearing loss has been demonstrated by scientists and researchers. This underscores the crucial importance of not holding off on treatment, as it can have negative effects on your brain function as well.
The impact on hearing
Obviously, it’s evident that delaying treatment for hearing loss isn’t conducive to preserving your auditory health. You unintentionally cause more harm to your hearing if you delay getting a hearing test or hearing aids if you need them.
The advancement of your hearing loss will be quickened if you constantly need to crank up the volume on your devices. Wearing a hearing aid can help mitigate this by selectively amplifying specific frequencies, thereby delaying the progression of hearing loss.
The link between neglected hearing loss and cognitive function
There’s a close link between your sense of hearing and your brain. Research indicates that untreated hearing loss can have considerable consequences on mental function. Social isolation, often a consequence of diminished hearing, can lead to mental health problems including depression and anxiety, which in turn can worsen cognitive decline over time.
Moreover, long-term untreated hearing loss prompts the brain to adapt by reallocating resources from processing sound to other functions, such as visual processing, potentially complicating the recovery of healthy hearing function later on.
Navigating neuroplasticity
In this situation, neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt, can be both a friend and a foe. While it allows for flexibility and restoration, extended neglected hearing loss can result in significant rewiring of the brain, making it difficult to revert to previous functionality.
However, it’s not impossible to reverse these effects. In both the short and the long term, making use of hearing aids can bring considerable benefits even if you’ve held off on getting treatment for some time.
Give us a call for an appointment
You should obviously find treatment as soon as you can, but even if you’ve delayed for a while, it’s not too late to seek help. Making an appointment with us as soon as possible is crucial, ensuring you can enjoy better hearing and mental function moving forward. Call today!