You can wind up in the hospital if you don’t correctly manage your hearing loss symptoms. I know that seems like an exaggeration. We usually consider hearing loss as not much more than a hassle – something that makes the news a little tougher to hear or, at worst, makes you unknowingly agree to something you didn’t mean.
But the long-term health effects of neglected hearing loss is beginning to get significant attention from researchers.
What Does Hearing Loss Have to do With Your Health?
At first glance, hearing loss doesn’t appear to have that much to do with other health indicators. But research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that over time, visits to the hospital can increase by up to 50% for somebody with neglected hearing loss. The risk of severe health problems rises the longer hearing loss remains untreated.
That’s a puzzling finding: how is your general state of health related to your ability to hear? That question can have a complicated answer.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Untreated hearing loss has been linked to a number of other health issues, like:
- Higher instance of anxiety and depression. Simply stated, neglected hearing loss can increase anxiety and depression, which in turn can have a powerfully negative effect on your physical body, to say nothing of your mental health.
- Memory can begin failing. In fact, your odds of developing dementia is twice as high with neglected hearing loss.
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and maintain situational focus.
Hearing Aids Really Help
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research reveals that up to 75% of hearing loss associated mental decline can be stopped in its tracks by one basic solution: wearing a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a profound impact on eliminating the dangers associated with neglected hearing loss. According to the research, individuals who used hearing aids for only two weeks saw:
- Awareness and balance improvements.
- Traumatic brain injury reductions.
- Improvements in brain function.
The team from Johns Hopkins examined data from 77,000 patients collected over about twenty years. And a crucial part of preserving your health lies in protecting your hearing which is a surprising outcome. Being sick can be costly, so taking care of your hearing also safeguards your financial well being.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is a perfectly typical part of the aging process, although it’s not exclusive to getting older. Because of accidents, occupational hazards, and disease, hearing loss can happen at any age.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s very important to address it. Your health could depend on it.
