Chris has been slightly forgetful lately. She forgot her doctor’s appointment for the second month in a row (time to reschedule again). And before she went to bed she even forgot to run the dishwasher (I guess this morning she will have to handwash her coffee cup). Lately, she’s been allowing things slip through the cracks. Chris has been feeling mentally fatigued and drained all the time but, curiously, she doesn’t feel forgetful.
It can be challenging to recognize that feeling until it’s sneaking up on you. But despite how forgetful you may feel, the issue isn’t really about memory. Your hearing is the real problem. And that means you can considerably improve your memory by wearing one little device.
How to Enhance Your Overall Cognitive Function And Memory
So, having a hearing test is the first step to enhance your memory so you will not forget that eye exam and will remember everyone’s name in the next meeting. A standard hearing evaluating will be able to figure out if you have hearing loss and how bad any impairment may be.
Chris hasn’t noticed any signs of hearing loss yet so she hesitates to schedule an appointment. She can hear in crowded rooms somewhat well enough. And when she’s working, she doesn’t have an issue hearing team members.
But just because her symptoms aren’t apparent doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. Actually, one of the first signs of hearing impairment is loss of memory. And strain on the brain is the base cause. This is how it works:
- Slowly and nearly imperceptibly, your hearing begins to fade.
- However mild, your ears start to notice a lack of sound input.
- The sounds that you do hear, have to be amplified and interpreted which causes your brain to work extra hard.
- You can’t detect any real difference but in order to comprehend sound your brain needs to work overtime.
Your brain only has a limited amount of processing power which can really be dragged down by that sort of burden. So you don’t have as much mental energy for things such as, well, memory or for other cognitive processes.
Hearing Loss And Dementia
If you take loss of memory to its most logical extremes, you could end up looking at something like dementia. And hearing loss and dementia do have a link, though there are numerous other factors involved and the cause and effect relationship is still fairly murky. Still, there is an increased risk of cognitive decline in those who have neglected hearing loss, starting with some moderate memory loss and escalating to more extreme cognitive problems.
Wearing Hearing Aids Will Help You Avoid Fatigue
That’s why managing your hearing loss is necessary. Noticeable increase of cognitive function was observed in 97.3% of people with hearing loss who used hearing aids for at least 18 months according to one study.
Similar benefits have been seen in various other studies. Hearing aids are really helpful. Your general cognitive function improves when your brain doesn’t have to work as hard to hear. Memory loss and problems with cognitive function can have numerous complex factors and hearing aids aren’t always a magic bullet.
Memory Loss Can be The First Signal of Hearing Loss
This form of memory loss is mostly due to mental fatigue and is usually temporary. But that can change if the underlying concerns remain un-addressed.
So if you’re observing some memory loss, it can be an early warning of hearing loss. You should set up an appointment with your hearing professional as soon as you recognize these symptoms. Your memory will probably return to normal when your fundamental hearing concerns are dealt with.
As an added benefit, your hearing health will likely improve, too. A hearing aid can help stop the decline in your hearing. In a sense, your general wellness, not only your memory, could be improved by these little devices.