About 28 million individuals could be helped by wearing hearing aids. Naturally, when we discuss data like that, we normally mean that those 28 million individuals would hear the world a little more clearly if they had some help (like hearing aids). But there are also certain other, relatively surprising health benefits that you can start to enjoy thanks to your hearing aids.
It turns out that something as straight forward as wearing your hearing aids could be good for your physical and mental health. These little devices can help counter (or delay) everything from injury from a fall to depression. In more ways than one, your hearing aids can help you stay on your feet.
Hearing Aids And Mental Health Advantages
The link between untreated hearing loss and mental decline is fairly well demonstrated by modern medical research. Mental illnesses including dementia, cognitive decline, anxiety, and depression, according to current thinking, can be triggered by hearing loss due to a combination of mental, physical and social factors.
So the mental health advantages of hearing aids shouldn’t be very unexpected.
Lowering Your Chances of Dementia
Your chances of dementia can be reduced, based on one study, by almost 20%. And all you need to do to take advantage of this awesome benefit is remember to wear your hearing every day.
Other research has indicated 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 has to be carried out to help explain and duplicate these findings, but it’s certainly encouraging.
Decrease Depression And Anxiety
Lots of people 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 anxiety and depression over time.
Wearing your hearing aids can help keep you socially involved and mentally connected. Hearing aids can be especially helpful if those factors are contributing to depression and anxiety.
You’ll Feel Less Lonely
While dementia may sound much more severe, for individuals who have neglected hearing loss, loneliness can be a real problem, social solitude often being the cause and adding fuel to the fire. Your overall mood can be dramatically influenced by social isolation. So being able to remain social and engaged thanks to your hearing aid can be a huge benefit.
And this is a good reason why, for instance, your hearing aid can help prevent conditions such as depression. To a certain degree, all of these health concerns connect in some way.
Hearing Aids And Physical Advantages
As your hearing impairment gets worse, there is some evidence that you may be at a higher risk of having a stroke. But these studies are in preliminary stages. It’s a little simpler to recognize the more pronounced physical benefit of hearing aids: you won’t fall as often.
There are a couple of reasons 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 come with fall detection built in. With particular settings equipped, when you take a tumble, a call will automatically be made to one of your pre-programmed emergency contacts so they know to check on you.
- Situational awareness: This means you’ll be more capable of avoiding obstacles that might cause a fall. If your pet, for example, is zooming out to greet you, you will hear them coming and will be ready for them to be running under your feet.
Falling can have pretty substantial health effects, especially as you get older. So your general health can be protected by reducing damage from falls or avoiding them entirely.
Make Certain You Wear Your Hearing Aids
These benefits, it’s worth mentioning, apply to people who have hearing impairment. If your hearing is healthy, then wearing a hearing aid will likely not reduce your risk of cognitive decline, for instance.
But if you do have hearing loss, the smartest thing you can do for your hearing, and for overall health, is to use your hearing aids.