Something like 28 million individuals could benefit from using hearing aids. This means that 28 million people would here their world clearer if they had hearing aids. But there are also some other, fairly unexpected health benefits that you can start to enjoy thanks to your hearing aids.
It turns out that something as straight forward as using your hearing aids could help your mental and physical health. These little devices can help counter (or delay) everything from injury from a fall to depression. Your hearing aids can literally keep you on your feet.
Mental Health Advantages of Hearing Aids
The link between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline is pretty well established by modern medical research. The current thinking is that, for a mixture of mental, social, and physical factors, hearing loss can bring about an escalated risk of mental illness, such as anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and dementia.
So it’s no surprise that recent analyses has suggested that hearing aids might have considerable mental health benefits.
Dementia Risks Decreased
Your risk of dementia can be lowered, according to 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.
In other research, the arrival of dementia was slowed by as much as two years by using hearing aids. This is very encouraging and with more research conducted to duplicate and clarify these numbers, we can come a long way in the battle against cognitive decline and illness.
Decrease Depression And Anxiety
Anxiety and depression are not symptoms that are exclusive to individuals who suffer from hearing loss. But there’s enough evidence to indicate that people with hearing loss are at a higher risk of developing both anxiety and depression as time passes.
Wearing your hearing aids can help keep you socially active and mentally connected. Hearing aids can be particularly helpful if those factors are contributing to depression and anxiety.
You’ll be Less Lonely
While dementia might sound much more extreme, for individuals with neglected hearing loss, loneliness can be a genuine issue, social isolation often being the cause and worsening symptoms. That social separation can cause significant changes to your disposition. So it can be an enormous benefit if your hearing aids can help you stay socially active.
And this is an excellent reason why, for example, your hearing aid can help counter conditions like depression. To a certain extent, all of these health problems are linked in some manner.
Hearing Aids And Physical Benefits
As your hearing impairment worsens, there is some evidence that you might be at a higher risk of having a stroke. But that specific research is undoubtedly on the preliminary side. The most pronounced (and noticeable) physical advantage of hearing aids is a little more straightforward: you won’t fall as often.
This occurs for two reasons:
- Situational awareness: For instance, if your pet is running up to you, you hear them and anticipate them racing around the corner.
- Fall detection: In some cases, it’s not the fall that’s perilous. Instead, it’s your inability to get back up that creates possible danger. Many new designs of hearing aids come with fall detection built in. You can program emergency phone numbers into your phone which will be automatically called if you take a tumble.
As you age falling down can have a devastating impact on your health. So your general health can be protected by reducing damage from falls or preventing them entirely.
Be Certain to Wear Your Hearing Aids
It’s worth noting that all of these advantages apply to people who suffer from hearing ailments. Hearing aids won’t, for example, help somebody with healthy hearing avoid falling.
But using your hearing aids, if you do have hearing loss, is the best thing you can do for general health.