Untreated Hearing Loss Can Cause Mayhem with Your Health

woman holding hand to ear

Hearing loss is often viewed as an inconvenience or frustration for those who have it and for the loved ones of those with hearing loss. However, the consequences of hearing loss can be far greater than having to repeat yourself or getting irritated by the inability to hear. There is an established link between hearing loss and the detrimental impact it can have on your mental and physical health. 

Mental Health

Research carried out by John Hopkins University has revealed several interesting effects that hearing loss can have on your health. It found those who experience hearing loss can be twice as likely to visit the hospital as those who do not have any hearing loss. It was also discovered that the inability to hear and pick up all the surrounding sounds may contribute to a faster rate of brain atrophy and social isolation. This was explained to be the case as when you walk your brain can pick up subtle clues that help with balance.

Hearing loss can mute some of these important signals. This can then result in feelings of anxiety or a lack of confidence when out and about causing you to potentially withdraw from society and social occasions. Hearing loss can also result in increased feelings of irritability, anger, lack of focus and negativity. The consequence of all of this on your mental health can be stark. In fact, research has commonly linked hearing loss with signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

Accelerating Cognitive Decline

What is more, hearing loss is also thought to be associated with cognitive decline. The brain can work well and adapt to sensory changes but this can be impeded when there is a loss of hearing. The sounds you hear are processed through the inner ear in a way the brain can then translate and understand if there is no hearing loss. It is this process that essentially allows you to differentiate from music in the room you are into the music being played down the street.

Further, your brain is processing sound even when you think there may not be any sound to process, such as sitting in a quiet room. However, where there is hearing loss the brain does not receive the same quantity of quality of sound. This can then cause stress on the brain that can contribute to causing a cognitive decline, which in turn can raise your risk of dementia in later life. 

Keeping Track of your Physical Health

While hearing loss can have detrimental effects on your mental and physical health the good news is that this does not have to be a permanent effect on your life. There is a solution to improving the quality of life, physical and mental health that may be affected by hearing loss. The first step to take is to get your hearing assessed, this can be done by undergoing a diagnostic hearing evaluation. 

The evaluation can determine if there is a present hearing loss and if there is the type and severity of the hearing loss. You may also be able to gain an insight into the cause of the hearing loss and of course, be provided with guidance to enable you and your audiologist to make the appropriate treatment plan.

During your evaluation, you may undergo several different types of tests depending on your age and medical history to establish the degree of hearing loss. These tests will also indicate the type of hearing loss and whether there are any conditions in the ear canal, middle ear or inner ear. The tests undertaken usually include pure-tone testing, bone conduction testing and speech testing. You may be required to undergo further testing on the ear if necessary, which can be discussed on the day. 

Typically, an evaluation will last between 30-40 minutes giving sufficient time to undertake all the necessary tests. Once the testing is complete you should allow further time to discuss the results with your audiologist. It may be that the results indicate a need for hearing aids and if this is the case further time should be allowed to discuss this and your options. 

While studies have repeatedly shown a link between hearing loss and the negative consequences on your mental and physical health the good news is, studies have also shown that hearing aids can make a remarkable impact on the quality of life of those who experience hearing loss.

If you believe that you may be experiencing hearing loss one of the best things you can do is to have your hearing checked. To find out more about the services offered and what is available to your visit The Hearing Center at York ENT or call us today at (717) 850-9269.