If you’re not treating your symptoms properly, hearing loss can hospitalize you. I know that sounds like an exaggeration. We’re used to thinking of hearing loss as not much more than an inconvenience – something that makes the news a little harder to hear or, at worst, makes you unknowingly agree to something you didn’t mean.
But the long-term health effects of untreated hearing loss is beginning to get significant attention from researchers.
How is Your Health Related to Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss doesn’t, at first glance, seem as if it has much of a link to other health concerns. 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 somebody with neglected hearing loss. The danger of severe health problems goes up the longer hearing loss remains untreated.
That seems like a curious discovery: how is your total state of health associated with your ability to hear? That question can have a complicated answer.
Hearing Health And Mental Health
Here are a number of the health problems associated with hearing loss:
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it harder to keep your balance and keep your situational awareness.
- Higher instance of anxiety and depression. Simply stated, neglected hearing loss can increase depression and anxiety, which will then have a powerfully negative effect on your physical body, not to mention your mental health.
- You begin to lose your memory. As a matter of fact, your odds of developing dementia double with untreated hearing loss.
Hearing Aids Really Help
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research indicates that up to 75% of the mental decline associated with hearing loss can be halted by one simple solution: using a hearing aid.
The health risks associated with hearing loss can be significantly mitigated by using hearing aids. The following improvements were noted in individuals who used hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Severe brain injury reductions.
- Awareness and balance improvements.
- Improvements in brain function.
The researchers from Johns Hopkins examined data from 77,000 patients accumulated over around two decades. And an essential part of maintaining your health lies in safeguarding your hearing which is a staggering outcome. Being sick usually costs money, so taking care of your hearing also safeguards your financial well being.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is not exclusive to the aging process but it is a part of it. Because of accidents, disease, and occupational hazards, hearing loss can occur regardless of how old you are.
However or whenever you lose your hearing, it’s extremely important to address it. Your health could depend on it.