Something like 28 million people could benefit from wearing hearing aids. Needless to say, when we discuss statistics like that, we usually mean that those 28 million individuals would hear the world a little more clearly if they had some help (in the form of a specialized device). But your hearing aids can also help you take advantage of some other health benefits.
Your physical and mental health can, as it so happens, be improved by something as simple as using hearing aids. These little gadgets can help stop (or forestall) everything from depression to fall-induced-injury. In more ways than one, your hearing aids can help you stay on your feet.
Hearing Aids And Mental Health Advantages
Modern medical studies have firmly established a connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline. The current thinking is that, for a mixture of social, mental, and physical factors, hearing loss can trigger an increased risk of mental illness, such as anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and dementia.
So it’s not surprising that recent analyses has suggested that hearing aids might have substantial mental health advantages.
Lowering Your Chances of Dementia
As reported by one study, wearing your hearing aids can help reduce your risk of developing dementia by up to 18%. And all you have to do to make the most of this amazing benefit is remember to wear your hearing every day.
Other studies have indicated that wearing your hearing aids regularly can forestall the onset of dementia by as many as a couple of years. Further research needs to be conducted to help explain and replicate these results, but it’s certainly encouraging.
Decrease Depression And Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are not symptoms that are exclusive to those who have hearing loss. But individuals who suffer from hearing loss have been shown to have a higher risk of depression and anxiety over time.
When you use hearing aids, you tend to stay more tuned in mentally and engaged socially. If those were contributing factors to anxiety and depression, they can help.
You Won’t be as Lonely
While dementia might sound much more severe, loneliness can be a big problem for individuals with untreated hearing loss, social isolation often being the cause and adding fuel to the fire. That social separation can cause significant changes to your mood. So it can be a huge advantage if your hearing aids can help you continue to be socially involved.
And this is a good reason why, for example, your hearing aid can help prevent conditions like depression. To a certain extent, all of these health concerns connect in some way.
The Physical Advantages of Hearing Aids
As your hearing impairment worsens, there is some evidence that you may be at a higher risk of having a stroke. But this research is in preliminary phases. The most obvious (and noticeable) physical benefit of hearing aids is a little more straightforward: you’ll fall less frequently.
This takes place for two reasons:
- Fall detection: At times, it’s not the fall that’s dangerous. Rather, it’s that you can’t get back up that creates possible danger. Many new designs of hearing aids come with fall detection built in. With certain settings equipped, when you have a fall, a call will automatically be made to one of your pre-programmed emergency contacts so they know to check on you.
- Situational awareness: This means you’ll be more capable of avoiding obstacles that might cause a fall.
Falling can have pretty substantial health impacts, especially as you age. So avoiding falls (or decreasing the damage from falling) can be a major advantage that ripples throughout your overall health.
Wear Your Hearing Aids Everyday
It’s worth noting that all of these benefits apply to people who have hearing conditions. If you have healthy hearing, then using a hearing aid will likely not decrease your risk of dementia, for instance.
But using your hearing aids, if you do have hearing loss, is the best thing you can do for overall health.