Your body is a lot like an ecosystem. In the natural world, if there’s a problem with the pond, all of the birds and fish are impacted as well; and all of the animals and plants that rely on the birds will disappear if the birds disappear. The human body, commonly unbeknownst to us, operates on very comparable principles of interconnectedness. That’s the reason why a wide variety of ailments can be connected to something which at first seems so isolated like hearing loss.
This is, in a way, proof of the interdependence of your body and it’s resemblance to an ecosystem. Your brain may also be impacted if something affects your hearing. These situations are known as comorbid, a term that is specialized and indicates when two ailments have an affect on each other but don’t always have a cause and effect connection.
The conditions that are comorbid with hearing loss can tell us a lot concerning our bodies’ ecosystems.
Hearing Loss And The Conditions That Are Related to it
So, let’s assume that you’ve been noticing the symptoms of hearing loss for the last few months. You’ve been having a difficult time making out what people are saying when you go out to eat. You’ve been turning up the volume on your tv. And certain sounds just feel a bit further away. When this is the situation, most people will schedule an appointment with a hearing professional (this is the practical thing to do, actually).
Whether you recognize it or not, your hearing loss is linked to numerous other health conditions. Some of the health conditions that have reported comorbidity with hearing loss include:
- Depression: a whole range of concerns can be the result of social isolation due to hearing loss, many of which are related to your mental health. So it’s no surprise that study after study confirms anxiety and depression have extremely high comorbidity rates with hearing loss.
- Cardiovascular disease: sometimes hearing loss doesn’t have anything to do with cardiovascular disease. In other cases, cardiovascular issues can make you more vulnerable to hearing loss. That’s because one of the initial symptoms of cardiovascular disease is trauma to the blood vessels in the inner ear. Your hearing may suffer as a result of the of that trauma.
- Vertigo and falls: your inner ear is your principal tool for balance. Vertigo and dizziness can be created by some forms of hearing loss because they have a damaging influence on the inner ear. Any loss of balance can, naturally, cause falls, and as you age, falls can become significantly more hazardous.
- Dementia: a higher risk of dementia has been connected to hearing loss, although it’s unclear what the root cause is. Research shows that wearing a hearing aid can help impede cognitive decline and decrease many of these dementia concerns.
- Diabetes: likewise, diabetes can wreak havoc with your entire body’s nervous system (specifically in your extremities). one of the areas particularly likely to be affected are the nerves in the ear. This damage can cause hearing loss all on its own. But your symptoms can be multiplied because diabetes related nerve damage can make you more susceptible to hearing loss from other factors.
What Can You Do?
When you stack all of those related health conditions added together, it can look a bit intimidating. But it’s important to keep one thing in mind: enormous positive affect can be gained by dealing with your hearing loss. Scientists and researchers recognize that if hearing loss is addressed, the chance of dementia substantially lowers although they don’t really know precisely why dementia and hearing loss manifest together to begin with.
So the best way to go, no matter what comorbid condition you may be worried about, is to have your hearing tested.
Part of an Ecosystem
That’s the reason why more health care professionals are viewing hearing health with fresh eyes. Your ears are being viewed as a part of your general health profile instead of being a targeted and limited concern. We’re beginning to consider the body as an interconnected environment in other words. Hearing loss isn’t an isolated scenario. So it’s important to pay attention to your health as a whole.