Hearing Loss & Health: Finding Your Best Self | Hearing Solutions
Have you heard? World Health Day is on April 7 — that means spending a day considering your overall wellbeing. An annual healthcare routine is a way to show your mind and body the respect you deserve. This day is the reminder to get your yearly dental and eye exams, physical checkups, and, of course, your yearly hearing test.
Studies show that hearing loss impacts everything from diabetes risk to mental health. The best way to manage hearing loss is to address it early — take measures to promote ear health, get a hearing test, and learn how to avoid damage to this essential sensory system. In this post, we detail the serious issues that connect to hearing loss and celebrate the opportunities to improve your quality of life.
Hearing Loss and Severe Health Issues
The ears are a complicated, multilevel part of your body. That means your hearing can affect any part of your existence, whether mental or physical. The good news? There are ways to address hearing issues.
The best way to address hearing loss — besides regular hearing tests — is to learn about it. Here are five ways hearing loss can affect your life (and the lives of your loved ones) so you can know the signs:
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Depression
According to the World Health Organization, depression is a common disorder that affects almost five percent of adults worldwide.
People are meant to be a part of the world, but also have enjoyable experiences within it – and sound allows every person to feel connected to those around them. Although sound can’t cure depression, learning how your sense of hearing alters your emotional and mental wellness is definitely useful.
Perhaps you want to protect your hearing and truly appreciate its gift, or maybe you want to restore a realistic auditory sensation with a hearing aid. Depression doesn’t have to be an ending; it can be a beginning, and World Health Day reminds us of precisely that truth.
2. Dementia
Described as persistent issues with mental faculties that result in personality changes, reasoning issues, and memory concerns, dementia is by no means unknown. A surprising fact is that even mild hearing loss doubles dementia risks. There’s evidence of hearing loss adding to brain atrophy.
To avoid this, a hearing aid may assist in reconnecting. Hearing aids bridge the gap between reduced natural hearing and natural sound. It involves using those aspects of the auditory cortex – the part that could lose its strength. Dementia is a fact of life, and managing it through hearing aid technology can make the experience easier to deal with.
3. Isolation
Unfortunately, feeling isolated can have a wide variety of effects on a person’s health. Thankfully, we live in the digital age, where access to information provides you with options to address this. Bluetooth hearing aids can connect you with the digital world so that you can use modern technology to decrease isolation.
Social interaction is important at any age, and while the world may have undergone some changes, there are more options than ever before. Feeling techy? Try video chatting with your niece. Want something more old-school? Head to the park and use that hearing aid to soak in the sunshine and sound of laughter.
4. Balance
Hearing loss involves more than just the eardrum; it’s a complex structure that involves more than only sound. Your outer ear acts as the echo chamber, while the inner ear performs more complicated tasks like finding balance.
Perhaps you’ve heard of vertigo or disequilibrium. Maybe you remember getting dizzy after spinning around as a child. The aurel system controls this feeling. Whether due to age, injury, illness, or genetics, hearing can cause significant balance issues. Assistive listening devices can’t provide a cure — but they allow you to relate to the world on a level playing field. A quality hearing aid can help you find balance, literally.
5. Perception
Sensory perception determines how we interact with the world. It might surprise you to know that hearing loss has connections to diabetes, dementia, and depression — but it makes sense. From sensing where a sound comes from (i.e. over your shoulder or by the door) to understanding articulation, hearing controls the way we interact with the world.
Humans are equipped with a whole world of senses, and each of them gives us an extra ability with which to view the world. Understanding your hearing loss and seeing how it affects your perception gives you the power to take action and regain control of your reality.
Information Is Strength
Hearing loss is a major component of your health. Whether you need a hearing aid due to age, injury, or illness, hearing wellness is a massive contributor to overall wellbeing.
Hearing loss isn’t a curable issue, but it is very treatable. By understanding how hearing loss can impact your life, you can make a plan to address your needs.
Hearing aids can help you reconnect with your healthiest self. And isn’t that what World Health Day is all about? You deserve to understand your hearing health — and take steps forward. Sound is all around you, and hearing care can help you immerse in its wonder.
Improve Your Hearing, Improve Your Health
Our team of audiologists are here to help you navigate the world of hearing health. Start your journey today by contacting Hearing Solutions at 1-888-811-9799 or Book an appointment online to learn more about how hearing aids can help improve your overall wellness.
Works Cited
Diabetes and hearing loss. (2021, July 23). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/diabetes-hearing-loss.html
Depression. (2020, January 30). WHO | World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
The hidden risks of hearing loss. (n.d.). Johns Hopkins Medicine, based in Baltimore, Maryland. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss#:~:text=In%20a%20study%20that%20tracked,more%20likely%20to%20develop%20dementia
