What’s the connection between hearing loss and dementia? Brain health and hearing loss have a connection which medical science is starting to comprehend. It was discovered that even mild neglected hearing impairment raises your risk of developing cognitive decline.
Researchers believe that there may be a pathological link between these two seemingly unrelated health problems. So, how does loss of hearing put you at risk for dementia and how can a hearing exam help fight it?
Dementia, what is it?
Dementia is a condition that diminishes memory ability, thinking, and socialization skills, as reported by the Mayo Clinic. Alzheimer’s is a common form of cognitive decline most people think of when they hear the word dementia. About five million people in the US are impacted by this progressive kind of dementia. These days, medical science has a complete understanding of how ear health increases the risk of dementias like Alzheimer’s disease.
How hearing works
When it comes to good hearing, every part of the intricate ear mechanism matters. As waves of sound vibration travel towards the inner ear, they’re amplified. Electrical impulses are sent to the brain for decoding by tiny little hairs in the inner ear that vibrate in response to sound waves.
As time passes, many people develop a progressive decline in their ability to hear because of years of trauma to these delicate hair cells. Comprehension of sound becomes much more difficult because of the decrease of electrical impulses to the brain.
This gradual hearing loss is sometimes regarded as a normal and insignificant part of the aging process, but research shows that’s not the case. Whether the impulses are unclear and garbled, the brain will attempt to decipher them anyway. The ears can become strained and the brain exhausted from the extra effort to hear and this can eventually lead to a higher risk of developing dementia.
Loss of hearing is a risk factor for many diseases that result in:
- Depression
- Inability to master new tasks
- Weak overall health
- Impaired memory
- Reduction in alertness
- Irritability
- Exhaustion
And the more significant your hearing loss the higher your risk of dementia. Even minor hearing loss can double the odds of cognitive decline. More significant hearing loss means three times the risk and someone with severe, untreated loss of hearing has up to five times the risk of developing cognitive decline. Research by Johns Hopkins University monitored the cognitive skills of over 2,000 older adults over a six-year period. Memory and cognitive problems are 24 percent more likely in individuals who have hearing loss extreme enough to disrupt conversation, according to this research.
Why is a hearing assessment important?
Not everybody realizes how even a little hearing loss affects their general health. For most, the decline is slow so they don’t always recognize there is an issue. As hearing declines, the human brain adapts gradually so it makes it less noticeable.
We will be able to effectively assess your hearing health and monitor any changes as they occur with routine hearing exams.
Decreasing the danger with hearing aids
The current theory is that stress on the brain from hearing loss plays a significant role in cognitive decline and different forms of dementia. Based on that one fact, you might conclude that hearing aids decrease that risk. A hearing assistance device amplifies sound while filtering out background noise that interferes with your hearing and relieves the strain on your brain. With a hearing aid, the brain will not work so hard to understand the sounds it’s getting.
People who have normal hearing can still possibly get dementia. But scientists think hearing loss speeds up that decline. The key to decreasing that risk is regular hearing tests to diagnose and manage gradual hearing loss before it can have an affect on brain health.
If you’re worried that you may be dealing with hearing loss, call us today to schedule your hearing assessment.
