You can end up in the hospital if you don’t properly treat 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 bit tougher to hear or, at worst, makes you unknowingly 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?
Hearing loss doesn’t, at first sight, seem as if it has very much of a connection to other health concerns. But research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that over time, visits to the hospital can increase by as much as 50% for someone with untreated hearing loss. The danger of severe health issues goes up the longer hearing loss goes untreated.
That seems like a curious finding: what does hearing have to do with your overall health? That question can have a complicated answer.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Untreated hearing loss has been associated with numerous other health problems, including:
- An increase in anxiety and depression. Basically, the likelihood of anxiety and depression rises with hearing loss and that will lead to health problems both physical and mental.
- You begin to lose your memory. As a matter of fact, your odds of getting dementia is twice as high with untreated hearing loss.
- Balance problems. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and maintain situational focus.
Hearing Aids: A Real Answer
It’s not all gloom and doom, however. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research reveals that up to 75% of hearing loss associated cognitive decline can be stopped in its tracks by one easy solution: using a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a profound impact on eliminating the risks connected to untreated hearing loss. The following improvements were revealed in individuals who wore hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Brain function improvements.
- Improvements in awareness and balance.
- Traumatic brain injury reductions.
Over a period of about two decades, Johns Hopkins accumulated and analyzed data from more than 77,000 individuals. And a crucial part of maintaining your health lies in protecting your hearing which is a surprising outcome. Being sick usually costs money, so caring for your hearing also protects your financial well being.
Preserving Your Hearing And Your Health
Hearing loss is a perfectly typical part of getting older, although it’s not exclusive to getting older. Because of accidents, disease, and occupational hazards, hearing loss can happen regardless of how old you are.
However, it’s important to acknowledge any hearing loss you might be noticing. Otherwise, your health could be negatively impacted.