Your brain can be helped by treating your loss of hearing. At least, that’s according to a new study from a University of Manchester research team. These analysts considered a team of around 2000 participants over a time period of approximately 2 decades (1996 to 2014). The attention-getting conclusions? Dealing with your hearing loss can delay dementia by up to 75%.
That’s a substantial figure.
But is it actually that surprising? That’s not to detract from the importance of the finding, of course, this is an important statistical connection between the struggle against cognitive decline and the treatment of hearing loss. But the insight we already have coordinates with these findings: treating your loss of hearing is vital to slowing cognitive decline as you get older.
What Does This Research on Dementia Mean For me?
Scientific research can be perplexing and contradictory (should I eat eggs, shouldn’t I eat eggs? What about wine? Will that help me live longer?). The reasons for that are lengthy, varied, and not very relevant to our topic here. The bottom line is: this new research is yet further proof that reveals neglected loss of hearing can result in or worsen cognitive decline including dementia.
So for you personally, what does this imply? In many ways, it’s fairly basic: you should set up an appointment with us immediately if you’ve noticed any loss of hearing. And, if you require a hearing aid, you need to absolutely start using that hearing aid as advised.
When You Use Them Correctly, Hearing Aids Can Help Prevent Dementia
Sadly, when most people are prescribed with hearing aids, they don’t always immediately get into the habit of using them. Some of the reasons why are:
- It’s difficult to make out voices. In some cases, it takes time for your brain to adapt to recognizing voices again. We can suggest things to do to help make this endeavor go more smoothly, like reading along with an audiobook.
- The hearing aid isn’t feeling like it fits well. If you are having this problem, please contact us. We can help make it fit better.
- The hearing aid doesn’t feel like it works the way it should. Many people need to have their settings adjusted, and calibration problems are definitely something that can be addressed by our hearing specialists.
- You’re anxious about how hearing aids look. You’d be amazed at the assortment of styles we have available currently. Additionally, many hearing aid models are created to be very discreet.
Your future cognitive faculties and even your overall health are clearly impacted by wearing hearing aids. We can help if you’re trying to cope with any of the above. At times the solution will take time or patience, but consulting your hearing professional to ensure your hearing aids are working for you is a part of the process.
It’s more significant than ever to take care of your hearing loss especially taking into consideration the new findings. Hearing aids are protecting your hearing health and your mental health so it’s essential to be serious about treatment.
Dementia And Hearing Aids, What’s The Connection?, What’s The Link?
So why are these two conditions dementia and hearing loss even associated in the first place? Scientists themselves aren’t completely sure, but some theories are related to social isolation. Some people, when faced with hearing loss, become less socially involved. A different theory has to do with sensory stimulation. In time, if a person loses sensory stimulation, like hearing loss, the brain gets less activity which then results in mental decline.
You hear better when you wear your hearing aid. And that can help keep your brain active, delivering a more potent natural defense against dementia and cognitive decline. That’s why a connection between the two shouldn’t be surprising and why hearing loss treatments can delay dementia by up to 75%.