You can wind up in the hospital if you don’t properly manage your hearing loss symptoms. I know that sounds like an exaggeration. We usually consider hearing loss as little more than an inconvenience – 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 current research is ringing alarm bells about the long-term health impacts of untreated hearing loss.
What Does Hearing Loss Have to do With Your Health?
Hearing loss doesn’t, at first sight, seem like it has much of a connection to other health concerns. But research carried out by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reveals that neglected hearing loss can result in a 50% increase in hospital visits over time. The chance of severe health issues goes up the longer hearing loss goes untreated.
That seems like a curious discovery: what does hearing have to do with your overall health? That question can have a complicated answer.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Here are a few of the health issues linked to hearing loss:
- You start to lose your memory. As a matter of fact, your odds of getting dementia double with neglected hearing loss.
- Higher instance of anxiety and depression. Simply stated, untreated hearing loss can increase depression and anxiety, which will then have a powerfully negative effect on your physical body, to say nothing of your mental health.
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it harder to keep your balance and maintain situational focus.
Hearing Aids: An effective Answer
There’s some good news though. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research indicates that up to 75% of the mental decline connected to hearing loss can be halted by one easy solution: wearing a hearing aid.
The health risks associated with hearing loss can be significantly reduced by wearing hearing aids. The following improvements were revealed in people who used hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Improvements in balance and awareness.
- Brain function improvements.
- Reductions in traumatic brain injuries.
The team from Johns Hopkins looked at data from 77,000 patients collected over roughly two decades. And a critical part of preserving your health lies in protecting your hearing which is a surprising conclusion. Being sick usually costs money, so caring for your hearing also safeguards your financial well being.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is a perfectly typical part of the aging process, although it’s not exclusive to getting older. Hearing loss can develop at any age because of accidents, occupational hazards, or diseases.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s extremely important to have it checked. Otherwise, your health could be negatively impacted.