Auditory deprivation: don’t risk it!
Hearing is a brain activity.
Your ears receive sound, but it’s your brain that makes sense of it. Hearing loss causes sensory deprivation. The auditory part of your brain needs sound stimulation to stay sharp. even mild hearing loss under stimulates the brain.
Use it or lose it
If hearing loss is left untreated, over the time of not getting that auditory stimulation that connection between the ears and the brain gets weak; the auditory nerve and auditory pathways begins to atrophy and weaken, because they are not being used. “The longer you wait to seek treatment, the [more the] brain has trouble understanding and processing information.
Another reason it may occur is when people have hearing loss in both ears, but only wear a hearing aid in one ear.
Your risk of dementia may increase.
Living with even a mild case of hearing loss can double your risk of developing dementia. The more severe the case, the greater the risk of cognitive decline.
A moderate case of hearing loss, for example, triples your risk. With a severe case of hearing loss, you’re up to five times more likely to develop dementia.
Hearing loss may impact your memory.
Do you find it hard to remember what you’ve just heard? It can be difficult to comprehend and remember what’s being said when it’s a struggle to hear it in the first place.
This is because the extra cognitive resources required to listen, reduce the resources available for memory and comprehension.
You may feel anxious and depressed.
Research shows that people with hearing loss tend to experience more anxiety, higher rates of sadness and are at a higher risk of developing depression and experiencing suicidal thoughts. They were also much more likely to experience loneliness, irritability, mild paranoia, social isolation and social withdrawal. Hearing impairment can make it difficult to communicate with loved ones, to follow the flow of conversations and to feel comfortable in social settings. They may worry they are missing out or that they can’t hear others talking to or about them and might worry about miscommunication.
You may experience more fatigue.
When it’s difficult to hear, communication can be exhausting. This is because you must dig deeper into your cognitive reserves to understand.
This can be particularly taxing at social events, in restaurants or in crowds where you may need to concentrate even harder to decipher what people say to you.
Your social life may be impacted.
You may find it harder to keep in touch with your circle of friends when you have difficulty hearing. It may be particularly noticeable in certain settings, such as larger gatherings or dinner parties.
As a result, you may find yourself withdrawing from certain social events or declining invitations. In fact, research shows that seniors with untreated hearing loss are 20-24% less likely to participate in social activities.
Early prevention is the best solution.
Given that hearing aid use has been associated with reduced likelihood of depressive symptoms, early recognition of hearing loss could lead to interventions resulting in improved quality of life. Therefore, DO NOT WAIT. If you think you or a loved one has a hearing loss, connect with an audiologist today who is specially trained to help you