You can end up in the hospital if you don’t correctly manage your hearing loss symptoms. I know that sounds like an exaggeration. Most people think of hearing loss as an inconvenience that makes it tough to hear the TV or what someone is saying at worst
But current research is ringing alarm bells over the long-term health impacts of untreated hearing loss.
What Does Hearing Loss Have to do With Your Health?
At first glance, hearing loss doesn’t appear to have much to do with other health concerns. But research carried out by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reveals that over time, visits to the hospital can increase by up to 50% for someone with untreated hearing loss. The longer the hearing loss goes untreated, the more significant the health troubles get.
That seems like a curious finding: what does hearing have to do with your general health? The answer is challenging.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Here are a number of the health concerns associated with hearing loss:
- An increase in anxiety and depression. Basically, the chance of anxiety and depression increases with hearing loss and that will bring about health problems both physical and mental.
- Memory can start to fail. As a matter of fact, your odds of developing dementia is twice as high with untreated hearing loss.
- Balance problems. 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 suggests that up to 75% of hearing loss associated mental decline can be halted by one simple solution: wearing a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a profound impact on eliminating the risks associated with untreated hearing loss. The following improvements were revealed in individuals who used hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Improvements in brain function.
- Awareness and balance improvements.
- Traumatic brain injury reductions.
Over a period of around two decades, Johns Hopkins collected and examined data from more than 77,000 individuals. And what they found is staggeringly simple: safeguarding your hearing is crucial to preserving your health. Being sick can be costly, so caring for your hearing also safeguards your financial well being.
Preserving Your Hearing And Your Health
Hearing loss is not exclusive to getting older but it is a part of it. Hearing loss can happen at any age as a result of accidents, occupational hazards, or diseases.
However, it’s important to address any hearing loss you might be noticing. Otherwise, your health could be negatively impacted.