If you’re not managing your symptoms correctly, hearing loss can hospitalize you. You may think that this is a bit of an exaggeration. We’re used to thinking of hearing loss as little more than an inconvenience – 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 impacts of untreated hearing loss is beginning to get serious attention from researchers.
How is Your Health Linked to Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss doesn’t, at first sight, seem like it has much of a link to other health concerns. But research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that over time, hospital visits can increase by as much as 50% for someone with neglected hearing loss. The chance of severe health issues goes up the longer hearing loss goes untreated.
That seems like a curious finding: what does hearing have to do with your total health? The answer is challenging.
Hearing Health And Mental Health
Untreated hearing loss has been linked to several other health issues, including:
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it harder to keep your balance and keep your situational focus.
- An increase in depression and anxiety. Basically, the chance of depression and anxiety rises with hearing loss and that will bring about health problems both physical and mental.
- You start to lose your memory. In fact, your odds of developing dementia double with neglected hearing loss.
Hearing Aids: A Real Answer
There’s some good news though. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research indicates that up to 75% of the cognitive decline linked to hearing loss can be halted by one basic solution: using a hearing aid.
The health risks linked to hearing loss can be significantly mitigated by wearing hearing aids. According to the study, people who used hearing aids for just two weeks saw:
- Severe brain injury reductions.
- Improvements in awareness and balance.
- Improvements in brain function.
The researchers from Johns Hopkins looked at data from 77,000 patients collected over roughly twenty years. And the conclusion is surprisingly simple: protecting your hearing is essential to maintaining your health. Being sick usually costs money, so taking care of your hearing also protects your financial well being.
Preserving Your Hearing And Your Health
Hearing loss is not exclusive to the aging process but it is a part of it. Due to accidents, occupational hazards, and disease, hearing loss can occur regardless of how old you are.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s very important to have it checked. Your health could depend on it.
