If you’re not treating your symptoms correctly, hearing loss can hospitalize you. You may think that this is a bit of an exaggeration. Most individuals think of hearing loss as an inconvenience that makes it hard to hear the TV or what someone is saying at worst
But new research is sounding an alarm over 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 seem to have that much to do with other health indicators. But research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that neglected hearing loss can lead to a 50% increase in hospital visits over time. The longer the hearing loss remains unmanaged, the more significant the health havoc becomes.
That’s a curious finding: how is your overall state of health associated with your ability to hear? The answer is complicated.
The Connection Between Mental Health And Hearing
Here are a few of the health problems linked to hearing loss:
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and keep your situational awareness.
- Memory can start to fail. As a matter of fact, your odds of developing dementia is twice as high with untreated hearing loss.
- An increase in depression and anxiety. Simply stated, untreated hearing loss can increase depression and anxiety, which in turn can have a powerfully negative effect on your physical body, to say nothing of your mental health.
Hearing Aids Really Help
It’s not all gloom and doom, however. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research reveals that up to 75% of the mental decline connected to hearing loss can be halted by one easy solution: wearing a hearing aid.
The health hazards connected to hearing loss can be significantly mitigated by using hearing aids. The following improvements were noted in people who used hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Traumatic brain injury reductions.
- Improvements in balance and awareness.
- Brain function improvements.
Over a period of roughly twenty years, Johns Hopkins accumulated and analyzed data from over 77,000 people. And a critical part of maintaining your health lies in protecting your hearing which is a surprising outcome. Taking care of your hearing health also benefits your finances, because being sick can be expensive.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is not exclusive to getting older but it is a part of it. Hearing loss can happen at any age because of accidents, occupational hazards, or diseases.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s very important to have it checked. Your health could depend on it.