You can end up in the hospital if you don’t correctly treat your hearing loss symptoms. You might 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 the long-term health effects of neglected hearing loss is beginning to get significant attention from researchers.
What Does Hearing Loss Have to do With Your Health?
At first sight, hearing loss doesn’t appear to have much to do with other health concerns. But research carried out by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that untreated hearing loss can result in a 50% increase in visits to the hospital over time. The longer the hearing loss goes untreated, the more significant the health troubles become.
That seems like a curious discovery: what does hearing have to do with your general health? That question can have a complicated answer.
Hearing Health And Mental Health
Untreated hearing loss has been linked to several other health issues, including:
- Higher instance of anxiety and depression. Basically, the chance of anxiety and depression increases with hearing loss and that will bring about health problems both physical and mental.
- Loss of balance. Hearing loss can make it more difficult to keep your balance and keep your situational focus.
- You begin to lose your memory. In fact, your odds of developing dementia is twice as high with untreated hearing loss.
Hearing Aids: An effective Answer
It’s not all gloom and doom, however. Far from it. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School research indicates that up to 75% of the mental decline associated with hearing loss can be stopped in its tracks by one easy solution: using a hearing aid.
Wearing a hearing aid has a powerful impact on eliminating the dangers connected to neglected hearing loss. The following improvements were revealed in individuals who used hearing aids for as little as two weeks:
- Brain function improvements.
- Improvements in balance and awareness.
- Severe brain injury reductions.
The team from Johns Hopkins looked at data from 77,000 patients accumulated over roughly two decades. And what they found is staggeringly simple: protecting your hearing is essential to preserving your health. Taking care of your hearing health also benefits your finances, because being sick costs money.
Caring For Your Health And Your Hearing
Hearing loss is a perfectly common part of the aging process, though it’s not exclusive to getting older. Hearing loss can happen at any age due to occupational hazards, accidents, or diseases.
However, it’s essential to acknowledge any hearing loss you may be experiencing. Your health could depend on it.