If you start talking about dementia at your next family gathering, you will most likely put a dark cloud over the whole event.
Dementia isn’t a subject most people are intentionally looking to talk about, mainly because it’s rather frightening. Dementia, which is a degenerative cognitive disease, causes you to lose a grip on reality, experience memory loss, and brings about a general loss of mental faculties. Nobody wants to experience that.
So stopping or at least delaying dementia is a priority for many individuals. It turns out, neglected hearing loss and dementia have some pretty clear connections and correlations.
That might seem a bit… surprising to you. What could your brain have to do with your ears after all? Why are the dangers of dementia increased with hearing loss?
What takes place when your hearing impairment is neglected?
You realize that you’re starting to lose your hearing, but it isn’t at the top of your list of concerns. It’s nothing that turning up the volume on your tv won’t fix, right? Maybe, when you watch your favorite program, you’ll just put on the captions.
Or maybe your hearing loss has gone unnoticed so far. Perhaps the signs are still hard to detect. Either way, hearing loss and mental decline have a powerful connection. That’s because of the effects of untreated hearing loss.
- It becomes more difficult to understand conversations. Consequently, you may start to isolate yourself socially. You may become distant from loved ones and friends. You won’t talk with others as often. This sort of social separation is, well, not good for your brain. And naturally your social life. Further, most individuals who have this sort of isolation won’t even realize that hearing loss is the cause.
- Your brain will be working harder. Your ears will get less audio information when you’re dealing with untreated hearing loss. Because of this, your brain tries to fill in the gaps. This will really exhaust your brain. Your brain will then need to get additional energy from your memory and thinking centers (at least that’s the present concept). It’s believed that this could speed up the development of cognitive decline. Mental stress and exhaustion, as well as other possible symptoms, can be the consequence of your brain having to work so hard.
You might have thought that your hearing loss was more innocuous than it actually is.
One of the principal indicators of dementia is hearing loss
Let’s say you have only mild hearing impairment. Like, you’re unable to hear whispers, but everything else sounds normal. Well, turns out you’re still twice as likely to develop dementia as somebody who does not have hearing loss.
Which means that even minor hearing loss is a pretty good preliminary sign of a risk of dementia.
Now… What does that suggest?
We’re looking at risk in this circumstance which is relevant to note. Hearing loss isn’t an early symptom of dementia and there’s no guarantee it will lead to dementia. Instead, it simply means you have a greater chance of developing dementia or experiencing cognitive decline later in life. But that could actually be good news.
Your risk of cognitive decline is decreased by effectively dealing with your hearing loss. So how can hearing loss be addressed? Here are a few ways:
- Come in and see us so we can help you diagnose any hearing loss you might have.
- If your hearing loss is caught early, there are certain measures you can take to protect your hearing. You could, for instance, use ear protection if you work in a noisy setting and steer clear of noisy events like concerts or sporting events.
- Using a hearing aid can help minimize the affect of hearing loss. Now, can hearing aids stop cognitive decline? That’s tough to say, but hearing aids can boost brain function. Here’s why: You’ll be capable of participating in more conversations, your brain won’t have to work so hard, and you’ll be a little more socially connected. Research suggests that managing hearing loss can help reduce your risk of developing dementia when you get older. It won’t stop dementia but we can still call it a win.
Lowering your risk of dementia – other strategies
Naturally, there are other things you can do to reduce your chance of cognitive decline, too. Here are a few examples:
- Eating a healthy diet, specifically one that helps you keep your blood pressure from going too high. In some cases, medication can help here, some people just have naturally higher blood pressure; those people may need medication sooner than later.
- Quit smoking. Seriously. Smoking will increase your chance of dementia as well as impacting your general health (excessive alcohol use is also on this list).
- Getting adequate sleep at night is imperative. Some studies link less than four hours of sleep each night to a higher risk of dementia.
- Exercise is necessary for good overall health including hearing health.
The connection between lifestyle, hearing loss, and dementia is still being researched by scientists. It’s a complex disease with a matrix of causes. But the lower your risk, the better.
Hearing is its own benefit
So, hearing better will help reduce your general risk of developing cognitive decline down the line. But it isn’t just your future golden years you’ll be improving, it’s now. Imagine, no more solitary visits to the store, no more lost conversations, no more misunderstandings.
It’s no fun losing out on life’s important moments. And a small amount of hearing loss management, perhaps in the form of a hearing aid, can help considerably.
So make sure to schedule an appointment with us today!
References
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/hearing-loss-and-the-dementia-connection