Dementia and hearing loss, what’s the connection? Medical science has connected the dots between brain health and hearing loss. It was discovered that even mild untreated hearing loss raises your risk of developing cognitive decline.
These two seemingly unconnected health conditions might have a pathological link. So, how does loss of hearing put you at risk for dementia and how can a hearing test help fight it?
Dementia, what is it?
Dementia is a condition that decreases memory ability, clear thinking, and socialization skills, as reported by the Mayo Clinic. People often think of Alzheimer’s disease when they hear dementia most likely because it is a common form. About five million people in the US are impacted by this progressive type of dementia. Exactly how hearing health effects the danger of dementia is finally well grasped by scientists.
How hearing works
The ear mechanisms are quite intricate and each one matters in relation to good hearing. As waves of sound vibration move towards the inner ear, they’re amplified. Inside the labyrinth of the inner ear, tiny hair cells shake in response to the sound waves to transmit electrical signals that the brain decodes.
As time passes, many individuals develop a gradual decline in their ability to hear because of years of trauma to these delicate hair cells. The outcome is a reduction in the electrical impulses to the brain that makes it difficult to understand sound.
Research reveals that this slow loss of hearing isn’t only an irrelevant part of aging. Whether the impulses are unclear and garbled, the brain will try to decipher them anyway. The ears can become strained and the brain fatigued from the additional effort to hear and this can ultimately lead to a higher chance of developing dementia.
Here are a few disease risk factors with hearing loss in common:
- Memory impairment
- Exhaustion
- Inability to master new tasks
- Depression
- Irritability
- Reduction in alertness
- Overall diminished health
The risk of developing dementia can increase depending on the severity of your hearing loss, too. Even slight hearing loss can double the odds of dementia. More significant hearing loss means three times the risk and a person with severe, neglected loss of hearing has up to five times the risk of developing dementia. Research by Johns Hopkins University tracked the cognitive skills of over 2,000 older adults over a six-year period. Memory and cognitive issues are 24 percent more likely in people who have hearing loss significant enough to disrupt conversation, according to this research.
Why is a hearing assessment worthwhile?
Hearing loss affects the general health and that would probably surprise many people. For most, the decline is slow so they don’t always recognize there is a problem. As hearing declines, the human brain adjusts gradually so it makes it less obvious.
Scheduling regular thorough exams gives you and your hearing specialist the ability to correctly assess hearing health and observe any decline as it happens.
Using hearing aids to reduce the danger
Scientists currently believe that the link between cognitive decline and hearing loss is largely based on the brain strain that hearing loss causes. So hearing aids should be able to reduce the risk, based on that fact. A hearing assistance device boosts sound while filtering out background noise that impedes your hearing and relieves the strain on your brain. With a hearing aid, the brain won’t work as hard to understand the sounds it’s getting.
Individuals who have normal hearing can still possibly develop dementia. But scientists believe hearing loss speeds up that decline. The key to decreasing that risk is routine hearing exams to diagnose and manage gradual hearing loss before it can have an impact on brain health.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment for a hearing exam if you’re worried that you might be dealing with hearing loss.