If you’re not managing your symptoms properly, hearing loss can hospitalize you. You might think that this is a bit of an exaggeration. We usually consider hearing loss as not much more than a hassle – something that makes the news a bit 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 sight, hearing loss doesn’t seem to have much to do with other health indicators. But research carried out by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that neglected hearing loss can result in a 50% increase in hospital visits over time. The longer the hearing loss goes untreated, the more severe the health havoc becomes.
That seems like a strange discovery: how is your total state of health linked to your ability to hear? The answer is complicated.
Hearing Health And Mental Health
Untreated hearing loss has been connected with a number of other health problems, like:
- You start to lose your memory. In fact, your odds of getting 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.
- Higher instance of anxiety and depression. Basically, the chance of depression and anxiety increases with hearing loss and that will bring about health issues both physical and mental.
Hearing Aids: A Real Solution
It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research reveals that up to 75% of hearing loss related cognitive decline can be halted by one simple solution: wearing a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a profound impact on mitigating the risks linked to neglected hearing loss. The following improvements were revealed in people who wore hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Brain function improvements.
- Balance and awareness improvements.
- Reductions in traumatic brain injuries.
Over a period of around two decades, Johns Hopkins accumulated and analyzed data from more than 77,000 individuals. And a critical part of preserving your health lies in safeguarding your hearing which is a surprising outcome. Being sick can be costly, so caring for 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. Hearing loss can develop at any age due to accidents, occupational hazards, or diseases.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s extremely important to address it. Otherwise, your health could be negatively impacted.