Putting off on essential appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amongst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day events. You may not even get around to shopping for hearing aids at all. However, putting off on treatment for hearing loss is a lot more than just a mistake concerning your ears alone.
Untreated hearing loss can result in a higher risk of cognitive decline
A clear connection between mental decline and neglected hearing loss has been established by scientists and researchers. This underscores the critical importance of not delaying treatment, as it can have negative effects on your brain function as well.
The impact on hearing
Naturally, it’s evident that putting off treatment for hearing loss isn’t helpful for maintaining your auditory health. By avoiding appointments with a hearing specialist or delaying the purchase of hearing aids, you unintentionally subject your ears to further damage.
You may find yourself continually increasing the volume on your various devices, exacerbating the damage to your ears and accelerating the development of hearing loss. Using a hearing aid can help mitigate this by selectively amplifying specific frequencies, thereby slowing down the progression of hearing loss.
The link to cognitive function
There’s a close connection between your sense of hearing and your brain. Research shows that untreated hearing loss can have substantial consequences on cognitive function. Over time, cognitive decline can be exacerbated by depression and anxiety brought on by social isolation.
Moreover, prolonged neglected hearing loss causes the brain to adapt by reallocating resources from processing sound to other functions, such as visual processing, potentially complicating the restoration of normal hearing function down the road.
Navigating neuroplasticity
The brain’s phenomenal ability to adapt, known as neuroplasticity, is both a friend and a foe in this scenario. While it allows for flexibility and restoration, extended untreated hearing loss can lead to significant rewiring of the brain, making it difficult to return to previous functionality.
But it is possible to undo this effect. Despite previous delays in seeking treatment, using hearing aids as prescribed by a specialist can still provide significant benefits in both the short and long term.
Call us for an appointment
While prompt treatment is ideal, it’s never too late to address hearing loss. Making an appointment with us as soon as possible is important, ensuring you can enjoy better hearing and cognitive function moving forward. Call today!
