You likely already know that smoking isn’t good for you and neither are things like living a sedentary lifestyle. But did you realize there’s intriguing research suggesting a connection between untreated hearing loss and early death?

Of course, life expectancy varies widely. This variance can be linked to things like access to healthy foods, where you live, healthcare accessibility, type of work, and even gender. But individuals who cope with untreated hearing loss seem to die earlier even when you take these differences into consideration.

Studies Connecting Early Death to Hearing Loss

Norwegian scientists looked at the health data from more than 50,000 individuals over a two-year period. They cross-referenced that data with the causes of death for the examined people. They could link a greater chance of early death to hearing loss regardless of the cause of death.

The chance of cardiovascular death is greater for individuals who have hearing loss particularly if they live by themselves and there is a 21% higher morbidity for people with even mild hearing loss, according to other studies.

Clarifying The Link

Any time scientists discover a connection, they never presume that one is necessarily causing the other. Instead, they attempt to establish why the connection occurs. How are the two really linked?

The Norwegian study also showed that women and men who were divorced and women who did not have kids were also at higher risk. This suggests that social life has an impact on longevity.

This presumption is backed by previous research. One study published in the Journal of Epidemiology examined the data for more than half a million individuals. It discovered that social solitude raises the risk of early death significantly.

How Does Social Stability Increase Longevity?

Not unlike a pack of wolves or a herd of elephants in nature, social connections offer numerous life-extending advantages to humans:

• Physical stimulation… You’re more likely to go out and do things if you have people around.
• Safety… If you need medical attention, you will be more likely to get it right away if there are more people nearby.
• Improved diet and health… Making it to doctor’s appointments is easier and healthy food is more readily available for people who are socially active.
• Motivation… Having people around can motivate a person to get up in the morning, try new things and look forward to their day.
• Mental stimulation… You’re sharing, joking and conversing with people.
• Support… A person with a robust social group is more likely to ask for help if they require it (instead of attempting to do something dangerous by themselves).

Why does untreated hearing loss decrease social participation?

Decreased Longevity And Social Isolation Can be The Consequence of Neglected Hearing Loss

You most likely have a very close relationship with your loved ones. It’s hard to envision how hearing loss might change that.

Have you ever been in a room full of strangers enjoying each other’s company, but ignoring you? You likely felt very alone. This is what neglected hearing loss can start to feel like. People aren’t necessarily ignoring you. It seems like you’re being ignored because people are beginning to have a tough time having a conversation with you.

On your side of things, you often feel out of the loop because you miss parts of the conversation. This can very easily cause you to withdraw physically and emotionally, even at family gatherings. The appeal of going to a club or restaurant with friends begins to fade away. You might find that you merely avoid these kinds of interactions. Here are a few other challenges that people who have progressing hearing loss cope with.:

• Mental exhaustion
• Anxiety
• Paranoia

Social connections become even more difficult because of these.

However, in their research, the Norwegian researchers offer a silver lining. They reached a significant conclusion after evaluating their research. Purchasing hearing aids can clear away the link between premature death and hearing loss.

Wearing hearing aids helps you stay active, social, and healthier for a longer time.

This fact can be backed by similar research. The American Academy of Audiology conducted one such study. They found that when individuals with hearing loss wear hearing aids consistently, they have:

• Better relationships with family
• Greater independence
• Enhanced social life outside the home

Untreated Hearing Loss Connected to Premature Death

Early death and hearing loss have a complex connection. But an entire picture appears when all of the data is taken into account. It demonstrates how hearing loss impacts finances, health, relationships, and more. So the premature death link isn’t hard to understand.

These studies also make it clear that treating hearing loss can counter its detrimental effects. You can keep living an active, social and healthy life well into those advanced years.

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References

https://www.earth.com/news/hearing-loss-premature-death/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/hearing/news-briefs-does-hearing-loss-boost-death-risk
https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/hearing-loss-risk-factor-premature-death
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwy231