The Hidden Risks of Hearing Loss

Inconvenience is how some people would initially view hearing loss. You might turn the volume up on the TV, seek out places with less background noise or even ask someone to repeat themselves. But hearing loss is more than just an inconvenience; it’s been connected to some major health issues.

Hearing loss, especially if left untreated, carries with it a number of dangers that are not immediately apparent. It can have other negative effects on our health if we have trouble hearing, have to struggle to understand speech or if our auditory system isn’t working as it should. Read on to find out what some of the hidden risks of hearing loss are.

Brain Cell Atrophy

The adage use it or lose it rings true for all of our cognitive abilities, including our hearing if we don’t use it regularly. The auditory cortex, located in the temporal lobe of the brain, is responsible for our sense of hearing and therefore hearing loss, according to brain imaging studies, is associated with cell shrinkage in the auditory cortex. This causes mental decline and has been linked to memory loss, slowed thought processes and dementia.

Cognitive decline might occur 30-40% more quickly in adults with hearing loss, according to studies. The good news is that the degradation process can be delayed by the use of hearing aids, and there is a lot of data to show that the sooner you purchase hearing aids, the better for your brain health.

Isolation

It’s common knowledge that people who have trouble hearing often feel alone. When you were younger, you might have noticed that certain relatives, typically the elderly, avoided eye contact and tended to keep to themselves during family gatherings. Or maybe there is someone at work who always has lunch alone. There are many other examples similar to this. It’s possible that these people experienced hearing loss and gave up trying to participate because they missed so much of the conversation.

If you have hearing loss and don’t get it addressed, you risk missing out on conversations with loved ones as well as the noises of the environment. This can cause you to isolate yourself and immerse yourself in a progressively smaller set of sounds and experiences.

Dementia risk increases when a person withdraws from social interactions and the routines of daily life. The use of hearing aids has been shown to improve cognitive function because they encourage sustained attention to your auditory and affective environments. Plus, loneliness and isolation can lead to depression, which is yet another reason why it’s crucial to see an audiologist if you think you are experiencing hearing loss.

Balance Is Affected

The ear’s balancing organ is a crucial component of the sense of hearing. We rely on our senses of hearing, touch and sight to help us keep our bearings. If any of those senses is impaired, you will lose your equilibrium. Hearing small cues is essential for maintaining your balance and keeping you upright while you walk. If you have a hearing impairment, you may not hear as many of these sounds, and as a result, your brain needs to work a little bit more to absorb the cues and figure out what’s going on in your environment.

Because your brain has to work harder to maintain your balance, you may have trouble walking or even fall. The availability of this knowledge has led to the incorporation of fall detection technologies into hearing aids, so if this is something you are concerned about, make sure you speak to an audiologist to find out more.

Diabetes And Heart Disease

Diabetes may impact the cochlea’s blood flow, resulting in hearing loss. Hearing loss could still be a significant warning even though it’s possible that diabetes causes hearing loss rather than the other way around.

Additionally, although the link between hearing loss in the low frequencies and cardiac disease is still unknown, more and more evidence linking the two is coming to light and we’re learning more about how these serious illnesses are related to hearing loss.

General Safety

When someone has trouble hearing, they may feel less secure in social situations. Hearing loss increases the danger of falling and makes it more likely that you may miss important warnings such as smoke alarms, traffic sirens and emergency announcements at work. A hearing aid will improve your ability to hear these warnings in all settings. You can use it to feel more secure at home, in the workplace and while driving.

For our mental and physical well-being, hearing loss poses several, often unseen dangers. This is why it’s important to discuss your hearing with the experts at Desert Hearing Care at (480) 374-1846.