If you’re not managing your symptoms properly, hearing loss can hospitalize you. You may think that this is somewhat of an exaggeration. We usually consider hearing loss as not much more than a hassle – something that makes the news a bit harder to hear or, at worst, makes you unknowingly agree to something you didn’t mean.
But new research is sounding an alarm about the long-term health impacts of untreated hearing loss.
How is Your Health Related to Hearing Loss?
At first glance, hearing loss doesn’t seem 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, visits to the hospital can increase by as much as 50% for somebody with untreated hearing loss. The longer the hearing loss remains unmanaged, the more significant the health havoc get.
That’s a puzzling finding: how is your general state of health associated with your ability to hear? The answer is complicated.
Hearing Health And Mental Health
Untreated hearing loss has been connected with numerous other health problems, like:
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and keep your situational awareness.
- Higher instance of depression and anxiety. 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. In fact, your odds of getting dementia double with untreated hearing loss.
Hearing Aids: An effective Answer
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research indicates that up to 75% of the cognitive decline connected to hearing loss can be halted by one simple solution: using a hearing aid.
The health hazards connected to hearing loss can be seriously reduced by wearing hearing aids. The following improvements were noted in individuals who wore hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Reductions in severe brain injuries.
- Brain function improvements.
- Awareness and balance improvements.
Over a period of about twenty years, Johns Hopkins collected and examined data from more than 77,000 individuals. And the conclusion is staggeringly simple: safeguarding your hearing is essential to preserving your health. Taking care of your hearing health also helps your finances, because being sick can be expensive.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is not exclusive to getting older but it is a part of it. Because of accidents, occupational hazards, and disease, hearing loss can occur at any age.
However, it’s important to acknowledge any hearing loss you might be experiencing. Your health could depend on it.