What’s the connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline? Medical science has found a connection between brain health and hearing loss. It was found that even mild neglected hearing impairment increases your risk of developing cognitive decline.
Researchers think that there might be a pathological connection between these two seemingly unrelated health issues. So how can a hearing exam help minimize the risk of hearing loss related dementia?
Dementia, what is it?
The Mayo Clinic reveals that dementia is a group of symptoms that alter memory, alter the ability to think clearly, and decrease socialization skills. People tend to think of Alzheimer’s disease when they hear dementia probably because it is a prevalent form. Alzheimer’s means progressive dementia that affects about five million people in the U.S. Exactly how hearing health effects the risk of dementia is finally well grasped by scientists.
How hearing works
The ear mechanisms are very intricate and each one matters in relation to good hearing. Waves of sound go inside the ear canal and are boosted as they travel toward the inner ear. Electrical impulses are sent to the brain for decoding by tiny little hairs in the inner ear that vibrate in response to waves of sound.
Over the years these little hairs can become irreversibly damaged from exposure to loud noise. Comprehension of sound becomes much harder due to the reduction of electrical impulses to the brain.
Research reveals that this slow loss of hearing isn’t simply an inconsequential part of aging. Whether the impulses are unclear and jumbled, the brain will try to decode them anyway. That effort puts strain on the organ, making the individual struggling to hear more vulnerable to developing cognitive decline.
Loss of hearing is a risk factor for lots of diseases that lead to:
- Reduction in alertness
- Irritability
- Memory impairment
- Weak overall health
- Inability to master new tasks
- Exhaustion
- Depression
And the more extreme your hearing loss the higher your risk of cognitive decline. Even mild hearing loss can double the risk of cognitive decline. Hearing loss that is more severe will raise the risk by three times and extremely severe untreated hearing loss can put you at up to a five times higher risk. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University monitored the cognitive skills of more than 2,000 older adults over a six-year period. They found that hearing loss significant enough to hinder conversation was 24 percent more likely to result in memory and cognitive issues.
Why a hearing exam matters
Not everyone realizes how even slight hearing loss affects their overall health. For most, the decline is progressive so they don’t always recognize there is a problem. The human brain is good at adjusting as hearing declines, so it is less obvious.
Scheduling routine thorough assessments gives you and your hearing specialist the ability to properly assess hearing health and track any decline as it occurs.
Reducing the danger with hearing aids
Scientists currently believe that the relationship between cognitive decline and hearing loss has a lot to do with the brain strain that hearing loss causes. Based on that one fact, you may conclude that hearing aids decrease that risk. A hearing assistance device boosts sound while filtering out background noise that disrupts your hearing and alleviates the strain on your brain. The sounds that you’re hearing will come through without as much effort.
Individuals who have normal hearing can still possibly develop dementia. What science believes is that hearing loss speeds up the decline in the brain, raising the chances of cognitive problems. The key to decreasing that risk is routine hearing tests to diagnose and treat gradual hearing loss before it can have an impact on brain health.
Contact us today to set up an appointment for a hearing exam if you’re concerned that you might be coping with hearing loss.