3 Health Effects Of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is a condition that’s pretty self-explanatory. It is a person’s loss of the ability to hear sounds. Hearing loss can be total or partial. This can use hearing aids to treat this condition.

Unfortunately, there are those with hearing loss who go without treatment. Some may be in denial of the current state of their ears. Others may find it saves money to ignore it and proceed with life. Whatever the reason, untreated hearing loss has consequences.

Dementia

Dementia is a term for illnesses which lessens the functions of the brain. People with hearing loss are at a higher risk of developing this the longer they go untreated.

A mild case of hearing loss makes a person three times more susceptible to dementia. A severe case of hearing loss makes a person five times more susceptible to dementia.

We don’t know the real reason behind the link between the two. Researchers and experts think that this is due not being able to hear puts a strain in the brain. It has to try harder to recognize noises. You have to use more resources to interpret sounds. Other elements of the brain could have used these resources for other tasks.

Depression

Research has revealed that 11% of those with hearing loss experience depression. This is an alarming amount.

How does hearing loss cause a person to become depressed? This is because listening is important when taking part in a conversation. You need to be able to receive the message and comprehend it so that you could then reply. That is hard when you can’t hear as well as others. Those with hearing loss might not pick-up words as they should. This is a recipe for miscommunication.

Make your peers or relatives who aren’t aware of your hearing loss aware. This can help them from picking fun at something that is serious to your health. You might not want to interact with others due to your hearing loss. You may even begin to prefer isolation. Most people cannot handle long periods of time without the company of others. This would then result in depression.

Compromised Vestibular System

The vestibular system provides the body with spatial orientation and balance. Depending on the type of hearing loss you have, this may become an issue.

This is because some of the parts that make up the inner ear are also what comprises the vestibular system. If you have sensorineural hearing loss, chances are there is damage to these same parts.

If this happens you become more in danger of falling in contrast to others without this. Luckily research has found that hearing aids could correct this.

There are more studies that find connections between certain diseases. This gives us even more reasons to strive for good health. Having one type of disease might lead to more. To learn how to protect your hearing, see your local audiologist. Call Chicago Beltone at (800) 900-6187 to set an appointment.