If you’re not managing your symptoms properly, hearing loss can hospitalize you. I know that sounds like an exaggeration. Most individuals think of hearing loss as an inconvenience that makes it hard to hear the TV or what somebody is saying at worst.
But the long-term health impacts of untreated hearing loss is beginning to get significant attention from researchers.
How is Your Health Related to Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss doesn’t, at first glance, seem like it has very much of a relationship with other health concerns. But research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that over time, hospital visits can increase by up to 50% for someone with neglected hearing loss. The chance of serious health problems goes up the longer hearing loss remains untreated.
That seems like a curious finding: how is your general state of health linked to your ability to hear? That question can have a complicated answer.
Hearing Health And Mental Health
Here are a number of the health issues connected to hearing loss:
- You begin to lose your memory. In fact, your odds of getting dementia is twice as high with untreated hearing loss.
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and maintain situational awareness.
- Higher instance of anxiety and depression. Basically, the likelihood of depression and anxiety rises with hearing loss and that will lead to health problems both physical and mental.
Hearing Aids Really Help
It’s not all gloom and doom, however. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research suggests that up to 75% of the cognitive decline connected to hearing loss can be halted by one simple solution: using a hearing aid.
The health hazards associated with hearing loss can be significantly mitigated by wearing hearing aids. The following improvements were noted in people who used hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Improvements in balance and awareness.
- Improvements in brain function.
- Reductions in severe brain injuries.
The team from Johns Hopkins looked at data from 77,000 patients collected over about two decades. And the conclusion is staggeringly simple: protecting your hearing is essential to maintaining your health. Being sick usually costs money, so taking care of your hearing also safeguards your financial well being.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is not exclusive to getting older but it is a part of it. Due to accidents, disease, and occupational hazards, hearing loss can develop at any age.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s very important to have it checked. Otherwise, your health could be negatively impacted.