You can end up in the hospital if you don’t properly manage your hearing loss symptoms. I know that seems like an exaggeration. We’re used to thinking of hearing loss as not much more than a hassle – something that makes the news a little more difficult to hear or, at worst, makes you unwittingly agree to something you didn’t mean.
But the long-term health impacts of neglected hearing loss is beginning to get significant attention from researchers.
What Does Hearing Loss Have to do With Your Health?
At first sight, hearing loss doesn’t seem to have that much to do with other health concerns. But research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that untreated hearing loss can lead to a 50% increase in visits to the hospital over time. The chance of severe health problems rises the longer hearing loss goes untreated.
That seems like a strange finding: what does hearing have to do with your general health? The answer is complicated.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Untreated hearing loss has been linked to numerous other health issues, including:
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and keep your situational focus.
- Higher instance of depression and anxiety. Basically, the chance of depression and anxiety increases with hearing loss and that will lead to health issues both physical and mental.
- You start to lose your memory. In fact, your odds of developing dementia double with neglected hearing loss.
Hearing Aids: An effective Solution
It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research reveals that up to 75% of the mental decline associated with hearing loss can be stopped in its tracks by one easy solution: wearing a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a profound impact on mitigating the risks connected to neglected hearing loss. The following improvements were revealed in people who used hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Improvements in balance and awareness.
- Improvements in brain function.
- Reductions in severe brain injuries.
Over a period of about twenty years, Johns Hopkins collected and analyzed data from more than 77,000 individuals. And what they found is surprisingly simple: safeguarding your hearing is crucial to maintaining your health. Being sick can be costly, so caring for your hearing also safeguards your financial well being.
Preserving Your Hearing And Your Health
Hearing loss is not exclusive to getting older but it is a part of it. Due to accidents, disease, and occupational hazards, hearing loss can happen at any age.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s really important to address it. Otherwise, your health could be negatively impacted.