An estimated 28 million people could be helped by using hearing aids. Needless to say, when we discuss data like that, we usually mean that those 28 million individuals would hear their surroundings a little bit better if they had some help (like hearing aids). But there are also some other, rather surprising health advantages that you can start to enjoy thanks to your hearing aids.
Your mental and physical health can, as it so happens, be improved by something as simple as wearing hearing aids. These little devices can help counter (or forestall) everything from injury from a fall to depression. Your hearing aids can literally keep you on your feet.
Hearing Aids And Mental Health Benefits
The connection between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline is fairly well established by modern medical studies. The current thinking is that, for a combination of social, mental, and physical reasons, hearing loss can trigger an escalated danger of mental illness, including cognitive decline, anxiety, depression, and dementia.
So it’s not surprising that the latest analyses has suggested that hearing aids might have considerable mental health advantages.
Dementia Risks Decreased
Your risk of dementia can be decreased, based on one study, by nearly 20%. And all you need to do to take advantage of this amazing advantage is remember to wear your hearing daily.
Other research has suggested that wearing your hearing aids on a regular basis can slow the onset of dementia by as many as a couple of years. Further research needs to be conducted to help clarify and replicate these findings, but it’s definitely encouraging.
Anxiety And Depression Can be Decreased
Countless individuals suffer from anxiety and depression even if hearing loss is not a problem for them. But individuals who suffer from hearing loss have been shown to be at a higher risk of depression and anxiety over time.
Wearing your hearing aids can help you stay socially active and mentally engaged. Hearing aids can be particularly helpful if those factors are contributing to depression and anxiety.
You Won’t be as Lonely
While it may not seem as dire or important as dementia, isolation can be a serious issue for individuals with untreated hearing loss, caused by and exacerbating a sense of social isolation. That social separation can cause substantial changes to your mood. So being able to stay social and engaged thanks to your hearing aid can be a huge benefit.
And this is an excellent reason why, for example, your hearing aid can help counter conditions like depression. All of these health issues, to some extent, are in some manner connected.
Hearing Aids And Physical Benefits
There’s some data which indicates that as hearing loss symptoms become more noticeable, your risk of stroke escalates. But these studies are in preliminary phases. The most obvious (and noticeable) physical advantage of hearing aids is a little simpler: you’ll fall less often.
There are a couple of explanations for this:
- Fall detection: Often, it’s getting back up after a fall that is the real hazard, not the fall itself. Many new models of hearing aids have fall detection as a standard feature. With certain settings equipped, when you take a tumble, a call will automatically be made to one of your pre-programmed emergency contacts so they will know to check up on you.
- Situational awareness: If your pet, as an example, is zooming out to greet you, you will be able to hear them coming and will be prepared for them to be running under your feet.
As you age falling down can have a devastating effect on your health. So your general health can be protected by decreasing damage from falls or preventing them altogether.
Be Certain to Wear Your Hearing Aids
It’s worth noting that all of these advantages apply to those who have hearing conditions. If you have healthy hearing, then using a hearing aid will most likely not reduce your risk of dementia, for example.
But if you do have hearing loss, the smartest thing you can do for your ears, and for overall health, is to wear your hearing aids.