You can end up in the hospital if you don’t properly treat your hearing loss symptoms. I know that seems like an exaggeration. Most individuals think of hearing loss as an inconvenience that makes it tough to hear the TV or what somebody is saying at worst.
But new research is sounding an alarm about the long-term health impacts 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 indicators. But research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that over time, hospital visits can increase by as much as 50% for someone with untreated hearing loss. The danger of serious health problems goes up the longer hearing loss remains untreated.
That’s a curious finding: what does hearing have to do with your general health? That question can have a complicated answer.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Here are a number of the health concerns linked to hearing loss:
- Higher instance of depression and anxiety. Simply stated, untreated hearing loss can increase anxiety and depression, which in turn can have a powerfully negative effect on your physical body, to say nothing of your mental health.
- Memory can begin failing. 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, however. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research suggests that up to 75% of the mental decline associated with hearing loss can be halted by one simple solution: using a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a powerful impact on eliminating the dangers connected to neglected hearing loss. According to the research, individuals who used hearing aids for just two weeks saw:
- Improvements in awareness and balance.
- Traumatic brain injury reductions.
- Improvements in brain function.
The researchers from Johns Hopkins studied data from 77,000 patients accumulated over about twenty years. And the conclusion is surprisingly simple: safeguarding your hearing is essential to preserving your health. Taking care of your hearing health also helps your financial well-being, because being sick costs money.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is a perfectly common part of getting older, although it’s not exclusive to getting older. Hearing loss can develop at any age due to accidents, occupational hazards, or diseases.
However, it’s essential to address any hearing loss you might be noticing. Your health could depend on it.