Did you turn the TV up last night? If you did, it could be a sign of hearing loss. But you can’t quite remember and that’s a problem. And that’s been occurring more frequently, also. You couldn’t even remember what your new co-worker’s name was when you were at work yesterday. You met her recently, but even so, it feels like you’re losing your grip on your memory and your hearing. And as you think about it, you can only come up with one common cause: aging.
Now, sure, age can be connected to both loss of hearing and memory failure. But it turns out these two age-associated symptoms are also related to one another. That might sound like bad news initially (you have to deal with hearing loss and memory loss together…great). But there can be hidden positives to this connection.
Memory And Hearing Loss – What’s The Connection?
Your brain starts to become strained from hearing loss before you even know you have it. Though the “spillover” effects may start out small, over time they can expand, encompassing your brain, your memory, even your social life.
How does a deficiency of your hearing impact so much of your brain? There are numerous ways:
- Social isolation: Communication will become strained when you have a hard time hearing. Social isolation will commonly be the consequence, Once again, your brain is deprived of vital interaction which can lead to memory issues. The brain will continue to weaken the less it’s used. Social isolation, depression, and memory issues will, over time, set in.
- An abundance of quiet: As your hearing starts to diminish, you’re going to experience more quietness (this is especially true if your hearing loss is neglected). For the parts of your brain that interprets sound, this can be rather dull. This boredom might not seem like a serious problem, but disuse can actually cause portions of your brain to weaken and atrophy. That can lead to a certain amount of generalized stress, which can interfere with your memory.
- Constant strain: Your brain will experience a hyper-activation fatigue, particularly in the early stages of hearing loss. That’s because your brain will be straining to hear what’s taking place out in the world, even though there’s no input signal (it devotes a lot of energy trying to hear because without realizing you have hearing loss, it thinks that everything is quiet). This can leave your brain (and your body) feeling exhausted. That mental and physical exhaustion often causes memory loss.
Memory Loss is an Early Warning System For Your Body
Clearly, having hearing loss isn’t the only thing that triggers memory loss. Mental or physical fatigue or illness, among other things, can trigger memory loss. Eating better and sleeping well, for example, can generally improve your memory.
In this way, memory is sort of like the canary in the coal mine for your body. Your brain starts raising red flags when things aren’t working correctly. And having difficulty recollecting who said what in yesterday’s meeting is one of those red flags.
But these warnings can help you recognize when things are beginning to go wrong with your hearing.
Memory Loss Frequently Indicates Hearing Loss
The symptoms and signs of hearing loss can frequently be difficult to recognize. Hearing loss doesn’t develop over night. Once you actually recognize the associated symptoms, the damage to your hearing tends to be farther along than most hearing specialists would want. However, if you begin noticing symptoms connected to memory loss and get an exam early, there’s a good chance you can avoid some damage to your hearing.
Getting Your Memories Back
In situations where your memory has already been affected by hearing loss, either via mental fatigue or social isolation, treatment of your root hearing issue is the first step in treatment. When your brain stops overworking and straining, it’ll be capable of returning to its regular activities. It can take a few months for your brain to get used to hearing again, so be patient.
Memory loss can be a practical warning that you need to pay attention to the state of your hearing and protecting your ears. That’s a lesson to remember as you get older.