If you’re not treating your symptoms correctly, hearing loss can hospitalize you. You may think that this is a bit of an exaggeration. Most individuals think of hearing loss as an inconvenience that makes it hard to hear the TV or what someone is saying at worst
But current research is sounding an alarm over the long-term health impacts of neglected hearing loss.
What Does Hearing Loss Have to do With Your Health?
Hearing loss doesn’t, at first sight, seem like it has very much of a connection to other health concerns. But research carried out by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reveals that over time, hospital visits can increase by up to 50% for someone with untreated hearing loss. The longer the hearing loss goes unmanaged, the more severe the health troubles get.
That seems like a strange discovery: how is your overall state of health associated with your ability to hear? That question can have a complicated answer.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Here are a few of the health concerns linked to hearing loss:
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and maintain situational awareness.
- Higher instance of depression and anxiety. Basically, the likelihood of anxiety and depression increases with hearing loss and that will lead to health problems both physical and mental.
- Memory can begin failing. As a matter of fact, your odds of getting dementia double with untreated hearing loss.
Hearing Aids Really Help
There’s some good news though. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research indicates that up to 75% of hearing loss related mental decline can be halted by one easy solution: wearing a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a profound impact on mitigating the risks connected to neglected hearing loss. The following improvements were revealed in individuals who used hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Reductions in severe brain injuries.
- Improvements in brain function.
- Improvements in balance and awareness.
The researchers from Johns Hopkins studied data from 77,000 patients accumulated over around twenty years. And the conclusion is staggeringly simple: safeguarding your hearing is essential to preserving your health. Taking care of your hearing health also helps your financial well-being, because being sick costs money.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is not exclusive to the aging process but it is a part of it. Hearing loss can develop at any age due to occupational hazards, accidents, or diseases.
However, it’s important to acknowledge any hearing loss you might be experiencing. Your health could depend on it.