Several studies have confirmed that hearing loss can have an influence on your brain. (Just take a look at some of our past blog posts.) Fortunately, it’s also been shown that you can recover some of that cognitive capacity through hearing aids.

We’re not claiming that you will become smarter just by wearing hearing aids. But there’s some compelling research that suggests hearing aids can enhance cognitive abilities, lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.

Your Brain is in Charge of a Large Portion of Your Hearing

It’s essential to recognize how big a part your brain plays in hearing if you are going to understand the connection between your ears and cognition. That’s where the vibrations of the world are transformed into the sounds of your environment. The parts of the brain that translate sound will suddenly have less to do when hearing starts to wane.

When combined with other considerations (like social solitude), the alterations in your brain (and hearing) can result in the onset of specific mental health problems. In people with untreated hearing loss, it’s not unusual to observe an increase in the risks for anxiety, depression, and dementia.

Your essentially “treating” your hearing loss when you’re using hearing aids. That means:

• You’ll be less likely to isolate yourself socially. Interactions will be easier to understand and follow, so you’ll be more inclined to participate.
• Because you’ll be able to couple your hearing aids with consistent screening and other treatments, you can help keep your hearing from becoming increasingly worse.
• The regions of your brain responsible for hearing will get regular workouts; the more your brain works, the healthier your brain stays.

Keeping You on Your Toes

Hearing aids stimulate your brain and your social life and can lessen depression, anxiety, and dementia.

• Inner ear health: Inner ear damage is not triggered by hearing loss alone. But there is frequently a common cause for both hearing loss and damage to the inner ear. Sometimes, a hearing aid is part of the treatment program for hearing loss which can also help inner ear injury.
• Creating better awareness: Occasionally, you fall because you’re not aware of your environment. Your situational awareness can be severely hampered by hearing conditions. Not only can it be challenging to hear sounds, but it can also be challenging to ascertain what direction sounds are originating from. Without treatment, this can end up resulting in injury or a fall.
• Modern technology: Some modern hearing aids, when a person falls, can instantly notify emergency services. This might not prevent the fall to begin with, but it can lessen long-term injuries or complications caused by the fall.

Truthfully, you have a higher chance of avoiding a fall when you’re using hearing aids. A hearing aid keeps you more alert, more mindful, and more tuned in, maximizing cognitive capabilities and physical health in the process.

Stop Ignoring Your Hearing Aid

None of this has even yet discussed the basic hearing advantages of hearing aids. So when you consider that amplified hearing, include the mental health advantages and physical well-being, it seems like wearing these devices would be a simple decision (not something you need to overthink).

The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be hard to recognize loss of hearing when it happens slowly over time. That’s the reason why having a routine hearing exam is important. A wide variety of other health issues can be made worse by loss of hearing.

The correct hearing aid can, in part, slow the onset of depression and dementia, while reducing the incidents of certain physical injuries. That’s a stunning combination of benefits that hearing aids offer, and they also help you hear.