If you’re not managing your symptoms correctly, hearing loss can put you in the hospital. I know that sounds like an exaggeration. Most people think of hearing loss as an inconvenience that makes it difficult to hear the TV or what someone is saying at worst.
But new research is causing alarm over the long-term health effects 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 indicates that over time, hospital visits can increase by up to 50% for somebody with untreated hearing loss. The risk of serious health issues goes up the longer hearing loss goes untreated.
That seems like a strange discovery: how is your total state of health related to your ability to hear? The answer is complicated.
Hearing Health And Mental Health
Untreated hearing loss has been associated with numerous other health issues, like:
- Higher instance of anxiety and depression. Simply put, neglected hearing loss can increase anxiety and depression, which in turn can have a strong negative effect on your physical body, not to mention your mental health.
- You begin to lose your memory. As a matter of fact, your odds of developing dementia is twice as high with neglected hearing loss.
- Balance balance issues. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and keep your situational awareness.
Hearing Aids Really Help
It’s not all gloom and doom, though. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research suggests 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 powerful impact on mitigating the risks connected to neglected hearing loss. According to the research, individuals who used hearing aids for just two weeks saw:
- Improvements in balance and awareness.
- Severe brain injury reductions.
- Brain function improvements.
The team from Johns Hopkins examined data from 77,000 patients accumulated over around two decades. And what they found is surprisingly simple: protecting your hearing is crucial to preserving your health. Being sick usually costs money, 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. Due to accidents, disease, and occupational hazards, hearing loss can occur regardless of how old you are.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s really important to deal with it. Your health could depend on it.
