The Link Between Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline

It’s not an uncommon occurrence that as you get older, you experience some level of cognitive decline. It’s a natural part of aging for many, and the degree it’s experienced can vary from person to person. Being aware of this might help you to slow it down, or take measures to prevent it. Making sure you’re mentally and physically healthy is a great start.
With that said, sometimes it cannot be helped, and there are other factors that can contribute to cognitive decline. In this case, it’s important to understand the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline.

Hearing Loss

While hearing loss itself isn’t directly going to cause your cognitive decline, it can play a major role, and it is linked in some way. The reason behind this is that hearing loss has been found to be linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. This link suggests that experiencing hearing loss puts you at a greater risk of cognitive decline, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to stop it.

The main issue lies in leaving hearing loss untreated. There are many negative side effects of hearing loss, and when it’s left unchecked – it can lead to the individual experiencing it feeling isolated, depressed, and anxious. Everyday life can become much more tiring, and you’ll find yourself avoiding the activities that you would usually enjoy.

Avoiding these daily activities will also cause you to lack the mental stimulation that your mind needs, which may also play a role in cognitive decline.

It’s highly important that if you think you might be experiencing hearing loss, you seek treatment for it as soon as possible. Making an appointment with your audiologist can either put your mind to rest or give you the confirmation you were looking for. From here, you can decide on what the best course of action is, as well as help prevent any possible negative side effects.

Links to Dementia

Studies have found that there is an association between untreated hearing loss, Alzheimer’s, and Dementia. These studies are the reason it’s suggested that hearing loss can lead to faster cognitive decline, which is why it’s so important to receive treatment as soon as possible. Hearing loss can make it difficult to prevent this part of aging, and it’s not yet known if receiving hearing aids can help to reverse the effects.

Hearing loss can also seem like dementia at first. If you’re having trouble understanding what others are saying, yet you can still hear them – that can be a sign that you’re experiencing hearing loss – not cognitive decline. It’s not easy to pick out the symptoms as soon as you see them, but being aware of what poor hearing health looks like can make a lot of difference to the actions you need to take. It’s because of this that you should consider making routine healing checks with your audiologist. If you’re over 60, it’s generally suggested to have a yearly appointment, as that’s when you’re at an increased risk of hearing loss.

It’s worth noting that while hearing loss and dementia seem to be linked, there’s no solid evidence that untreated hearing loss can directly cause dementia. The results suggest that there is a correlation between the two, but no defined conclusion has yet been made. Hearing loss may proceed the symptoms of dementia faster than those who aren’t experiencing hearing loss.

Hearing Aids as a Treatment

Studies have suggested that receiving hearing aids can slow down the effects that untreated hearing loss has on your cognitive abilities. While not prevention, the sooner you receive hearing aids for your hearing loss, the sooner you can slow down the effects of cognitive decline and symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Hearing aids can also help to reduce feelings of isolation and depression that those without the experience have. Individuals will no longer need to avoid their daily hobbies and activities, and can continue with their social lives without the hindrance of hearing loss is so much of a bother.

If you’re experiencing hearing loss or want to know more about your hearing health, don’t hesitate to reach out to an audiologist. You can reach one at the Physicians Hearing Center at (334) 441-4090. Whether you’re only looking to ask questions, make an appointment or are calling on someone else’s behalf – don’t wait to call. Hearing health should be prioritized and treated as soon as possible, and you could receive your hearing aids much sooner.