If you’re not treating your symptoms correctly, hearing loss can put you in the hospital. I know that sounds like an exaggeration. We’re used to thinking of hearing loss as little more than an inconvenience – something that makes the news a little more difficult to hear or, at worst, makes you unknowingly agree to something you didn’t mean.
But the long-term health effects of untreated hearing loss is beginning to get serious attention from researchers.
What Does Hearing Loss Have to do With Your Health?
At first sight, hearing loss doesn’t appear to have much to do with other health concerns. But research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reveals that over time, visits to the hospital can increase by as much as 50% for somebody with neglected hearing loss. The danger of serious health problems rises the longer hearing loss remains untreated.
That’s 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 linked to numerous other health concerns, like:
- Memory can begin failing. In fact, your odds of getting dementia double with untreated hearing loss.
- An increase in anxiety and depression. Basically, the likelihood of anxiety and depression rises with hearing loss and that will bring about health issues both physical and mental.
- Balance problems. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and keep your situational focus.
Hearing Aids: A Real 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 cognitive decline linked to hearing loss can be stopped in its tracks by one easy solution: wearing a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a powerful impact on mitigating the dangers connected to untreated hearing loss. According to the research, patients who wore hearing aids for only two weeks saw:
- Improvements in balance and awareness.
- Brain function improvements.
- Severe brain injury reductions.
The team from Johns Hopkins looked at data from 77,000 patients collected over roughly two decades. And an essential part of preserving your health lies in protecting your hearing which is a surprising conclusion. Taking care of your hearing health also helps your finances, because being sick can be expensive.
Preserving Your Hearing And Your Health
Hearing loss is not exclusive to the aging process but it is a part of it. Hearing loss can happen at any age as a result of occupational hazards, accidents, or diseases.
However, it’s important to acknowledge any hearing loss you may be noticing. Your health could depend on it.