Your brain can be helped by taking care of your hearing loss. At least, that’s according to a new study by a group of analysts from the University of Manchester. These researchers considered a group of more than 2000 participants over a time period of almost 2 decades (1996 to 2014). The outstanding findings? Dementia can be delayed by up to 75% by managing your loss of hearing.
That is not an insignificant number.
And yet, it’s not all all that surprising. That’s not to take away from the importance of the finding, of course, this is an important statistical connection between the fight against dementia and the treatment of hearing loss. But the information we already have aligns well with these findings: treating your hearing loss is vital to slowing cognitive decline as you get older.
What Does This Research on Dementia Mean For me?
You can’t always believe the information provided in scientific research because it can in many cases be contradictory. There are lots of unrelated reasons for this. Because here’s the bottom line: yet further proof, this research reveals neglected hearing loss can result in or worsen mental decline including dementia.
So what does this indicate for you? In some ways, it’s pretty simple: if you’ve noticed any probable indications of hearing loss, make an appointment with us soon. And you need to start using that hearing aid as advised if you find out you need one.
When You Use Them Correctly, Hearing Aids Can Counter Dementia
Unfortunately, not everybody falls directly into the habit of using a prescribed pair of hearing aids. The often cited reasons why include:
- It’s challenging to understand voices. Your brain doesn’t always immediately adjust to hearing voices. There are some things we can recommend, like reading along with an audiobook, that can help make this process go more smoothly.
- How hearing aids look worries you. Today, we have a lot of designs available which may amaze you. Plus, many hearing aid styles are created to be very unobtrusive.
- The hearing aid isn’t feeling as if it fits perfectly. If you are having this issue, please get in touch with us. We can help make it fit better.
- The hearing aid doesn’t feel like it works as advertised. Many people need to have their settings adjusted, and calibration problems are definitely something that can be addressed by our hearing specialists.
Your future mental abilities and even your health in general are clearly affected by wearing hearing aids. We can help if you’re trying to cope with any of the above. Working with your hearing specialist to make certain your hearing aids are working for you is just part of the process and it calls for time and patience.
It’s more significant than ever to deal with your loss of hearing particularly in the light of the new findings. Hearing aids are defending your hearing health and your mental health so it’s vital to be serious about treatment.
What’s The Connection Between Dementia And Hearing Aids?
So why are these two health conditions hearing loss and dementia even linked in the first place? Experts themselves aren’t completely sure, but some theories are associated with social isolation. Some people, when faced with hearing loss, become less socially active. A different theory has to do with sensory stimulation. All senses generate activity in the brain, and some researchers theorize that losing stimulation can result in cognitive decline over a period of time.
Your hearing aid helps you hear better. And that can help keep your brain active, delivering a more robust natural defense against dementia and cognitive decline. That’s why treating hearing loss can delay dementia by as much as 75% percent and why it shouldn’t be unexpected that there is a connection between the two.