Chris has been somewhat forgetful lately. For two months in a row, she missed her doctor’s appointment and has to reschedule. And she even forgot to run the dishwasher before bed (looks like she’ll be handwashing her coffee cup this morning). Things have been falling through the cracks. Chris has been feeling mentally exhausted and drained all the time but, strangely, she doesn’t feel forgetful.
It can be hard to recognize that feeling until it’s sneaking up on you. Frequently, though, the issue isn’t your memory, in spite of how forgetful you may appear. The real problem is your hearing. And that means there’s one little device, a hearing aid, that can assist you to significantly improve your memory.
How to Enhance Your Overall Cognitive Function And Memory
So, the first step you can take to improve your memory, to get everyone’s name right at your next meeting or to make sure you schedule that day off for your eye exam, is to get your hearing tested. A standard hearing screening will be able to find out if you have hearing loss and how severe any impairment may be.
Chris hesitates, though, because she hasn’t noted any signs or symptoms of hearing loss. She can hear in noisy rooms fairly well enough. And she’s never had a tough time listening to any of her team members at work.
But she might have some degree of hearing loss despite the fact that she hasn’t observed any symptoms yet. In fact, memory loss is often one of the very first noticeable symptoms of hearing loss. And it all has to do with brain strain. Here’s how it works:
- Your hearing starts to diminish, maybe so slowly you don’t notice.
- However mild, your ears begin to detect a lack of sound input.
- Your brain begins working a little bit harder to interpret and boost the sounds you can hear.
- Everything seems normal, but it takes more work on your brain’s part to make sense of the sounds.
Your brain only has so much processing power which can really be stressed by that kind of burden. So things such as cognitive function and memory take a back seat.
Dementia And Hearing Loss
When memory loss is extreme, the result might be dementia. And there is a link between hearing loss and dementia, though what the precise cause-effect relationship is, remains somewhat unknown. Still, there is a higher danger of cognitive decline in people who have untreated hearing loss, beginning with some moderate memory issues and increasing to more extreme cognitive issues.
Keeping Fatigue in Check Using Hearing Aids
This is why it’s necessary to treat your hearing loss. According to one study, 97.3% of those who suffer from hearing loss who wore hearing aids for at least 18 months showed a significant stabilization or increase in their cognitive abilities.
A variety of other studies have shown similar results. It’s unquestionably helpful to wear hearing aids. When your brain doesn’t have to strain quite as hard, your total cognitive function improves. Sure, a hearing aid isn’t a memory panacea, memory problems and cognitive decline can be a complicated mixture of causes and elements.
Memory Loss Can be The First Signal of Hearing Loss
This form of memory loss is mostly because of mental fatigue and is normally temporary. But that can change if the fundamental problems remain neglected.
Memory loss, then, can be something of an early warning system. When you first observe those symptoms, you should schedule an appointment with your hearing professional. Your memory will most likely go back to normal when your fundamental hearing concerns are addressed.
As an added bonus, your hearing health will most likely get better, as well. A hearing aid can help stop the decline in your hearing. In this way, your total wellness, not just your memory, could be enhanced by these little devices.