What’s the link between hearing loss and dementia? Medical science has connected the dots between brain health and hearing loss. It was discovered that even mild neglected hearing impairment raises your risk of developing dementia.
Experts think 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 combat it?
Dementia, what is it?
Dementia is a condition that decreases memory ability, thinking, and socialization skills, as reported by the Mayo Clinic. People tend to think of Alzheimer’s disease when they hear dementia most likely because it is a common form. Around five million people in the US are affected by this progressive form of dementia. Today, medical science has a complete understanding of how ear health alters the risk of dementias like Alzheimer’s disease.
How hearing works
The ear components are quite intricate and each one matters in relation to good hearing. Waves of sound go inside the ear canal and are amplified as they travel toward the inner ear. Electrical signals are sent to the brain for decoding by tiny little hairs in the inner ear that shake in response to waves of sound.
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 a lot harder due to the reduction of electrical impulses to the brain.
Research suggests that this slow loss of hearing isn’t simply an inconsequential part of aging. The brain tries to decode any signals sent by the ear even if they are jumbled or unclear. The ears can become strained and the brain exhausted from the added effort to hear and this can eventually lead to a higher chance of developing cognitive decline.
Here are several disease risk factors with hearing loss in common:
- Exhaustion
- Inability to master new tasks
- Overall diminished health
- Irritability
- Impaired memory
- Depression
- Reduction in alertness
And the more severe your hearing loss the higher your risk of dementia. A person with only minor impairment has twice the risk. Hearing loss that is more severe will bring the risk up by three times and very severe untreated hearing loss can put you at up to a five times greater danger. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University watched the cognitive skills of over 2,000 older adults over a six-year period. Memory and cognitive problems are 24 percent more likely in people who have hearing loss severe enough to disrupt conversation, according to this study.
Why is a hearing test worthwhile?
Not everybody understands how even a little hearing loss impacts their general health. Most individuals don’t even recognize they have hearing loss because it progresses so gradually. As hearing declines, the human brain adapts gradually so it makes it less obvious.
Scheduling routine comprehensive assessments gives you and your hearing specialist the ability to correctly assess hearing health and monitor any decline as it occurs.
Reducing the danger with hearing aids
Scientists presently think that the connection between cognitive decline and hearing loss is largely based on the brain strain that hearing loss produces. So hearing aids should be able to reduce the risk, based on that fact. The strain on your brain will be reduced by using a hearing aid to filter out undesirable background noise while enhancing sounds you want to hear. With a hearing aid, the brain will not work so hard to understand the sounds it’s receiving.
There is no rule that says individuals with normal hearing won’t develop dementia. What science believes is that hearing loss speeds up the decline in the brain, increasing the risk of cognitive problems. The key to reducing that risk is regular hearing tests to diagnose and manage gradual hearing loss before it can have an affect on brain health.
Call us today to set up an appointment for a hearing exam if you’re concerned that you may be coping with hearing loss.
