Hearing Loss
Information on hearing loss and how it can affect your health.
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Hearing and Your Health
Approximately 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. Hearing loss is not always the result of aging, sometimes it can be caused by another serious underlying health condition. Studies have proven that hearing loss can be connected to heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Each of these conditions affects the blood vessels in your body, often causing them to swell. Because the blood vessels in your ear are so sensitive, the swelling of them due to one of these conditions can cause hearing loss.
It’s important to schedule regular hearing check-ups and appointments with your physician to catch any of these conditions early. Early intervention can prevent any further complications and will benefit your overall well-being.
Hearing and Your Brain
Hearing is directly connected to the brain. In fact, we don’t hear with our ears, we hear when sound travels through the ear and up to the auditory cortex of the brain. When sound reaches the brain, it is transformed into information and stored into our memories.
Healthy hearing is a crucial part of having an active and healthy brain. When you can’t hear well due to hearing loss, your brain doesn’t receive the proper stimulation it needs. Hearing loss makes it difficult for the brain to hear certain sound signals depending on the tone and frequency. As a result, your brain will work harder to pick up the sounds that it is missing, this can lead to mental strain, fatigue, and even memory problems.
Studies have proven there is a connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline. Those who have hearing loss may socially isolate themselves from other people because they are ashamed of their hearing loss and they don’t want anyone to notice. Without conversations and social interactions, you can develop feelings of loneliness, depression, and experience a decline in your cognitive abilities. Your brain needs your hearing to remain active and healthy.
The most effective way to prevent cognitive decline is to manage your hearing loss with hearing aids. Hearing aids provide your brain with the proper stimulation it needs to process sounds and remain healthy. Hearing aids will also provide you with the confidence to rejoin the conversation and interact with your friends and family again. Don’t let hearing loss keep you from the ones you love. Contact us today to learn more about how hearing loss may be affecting your brain.
Signs of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss often occurs gradually, over the course of a few years. If you have lost your hearing over time, it can be hard to recognize the signs. Often times, a close friend or spouse will recognize the signs of hearing loss first. If you have experienced any of the following, then it is time to have your hearing checked.
- Sounds seem muffled
- It’s harder to hear when there is background noise
- You often ask people to repeat themselves
- You listen to the TV at a volume louder than everyone else
- You can hear sounds but you can’t hear what people are saying
- You hear a ringing in your ears
