Several studies have proven that hearing loss can have an influence on your brain. (Just look at some of our past blog posts.) The good news is, it’s also been shown that you can regain some of that cognitive ability through hearing aids.

This is not to say that hearing aids are somehow going to make you more intelligent. But there’s some compelling research that suggests cognitive ability can be increased by wearing hearing aids lowering your risk for depression, dementia, and anxiety.

You Accomplish a Lot of Hearing With Your Brain

To comprehend the link between your ears and cognition, it’s crucial to recognize that a substantial portion of your hearing actually takes place in your brain. That’s where the vibrations of the world are transformed into the sounds of your surroundings. The parts of your brain that translate sound will suddenly have less to do when hearing begins to wane.

In combination with other considerations (like social solitude), the changes in your brain (and hearing) can lead to the onset of certain mental health issues. In people with neglected hearing loss, it’s not unusual to observe an increase in the chances of depression, anxiety, and dementia.

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

• Social isolation won’t be as likely. You will be more likely to participate with people if you can hear and understand interactions.
• Because you’ll be able to couple your hearing aids with consistent monitoring and other treatments, you can stop your hearing from becoming progressively worse.
• The regions of your brain responsible for hearing will get a more consistent workout; the more your brain performs work, the healthier your brain will be.

Keeping You on Your Toes

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

• State of the art technology: Some contemporary hearing aids, when someone falls, can automatically notify emergency services. This can prevent long lasting injuries and complications though it won’t stop the fall itself.
• Creating greater awareness: At times, because you aren’t aware of your environment, you may have a fall. Diminished hearing ability can drastically reduce your situational awareness. Identifying what direction sound is coming from can be as difficult as hearing sound in general. A fall or other accident can be the consequence.
• The health of your inner ear: 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. So treating the one can help you treat the other, and in certain cases, a hearing aid is a component of that treatment routine.

The fact is, you have a higher chance of avoiding a fall when you’re wearing hearing aids. A hearing aid helps you stay more alert, more mindful, and more tuned in, improving cognitive abilities and general health in the process.

Stop Neglecting Your Hearing Aid

We haven’t even yet dealt with the basic hearing benefits of hearing aids. So when you consider that amplified hearing, factor in the mental health advantages and physical well-being, it seems like using these devices would be a simple decision (not something you need to put your thinking cap on for).

The problem is that many people don’t know they have hearing loss. It can be difficult to recognize hearing loss when it develops gradually over time. That’s the reason why having a normal hearing exam is important. Without hearing aids, loss of hearing can worsen a number of of other health issues.

Hearing aids will minimize the chances of physical damage while helping to delay dementia and depression. That’s a striking mix of advantages that hearing aids offer, and they also help your hearing.