What’s the link between hearing loss and dementia? Brain health and hearing loss have a link which medical science is starting to comprehend. Your risk of getting dementia is higher with even mild hearing loss, as it turns out.
Scientists believe that there may be a pathological link between these two seemingly unrelated health issues. So, how does hearing loss 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. Individuals tend to think of Alzheimer’s disease when they hear dementia most likely because it is a prevalent form. Alzheimer’s means progressive dementia that affects about five million people in the U.S. Exactly how hearing health effects the danger of dementia is finally well grasped by scientists.
How hearing works
The ear components are quite complex and each one is important when it comes to good hearing. As waves of sound vibration travel towards the inner ear, they get amplified. Electrical signals are transmitted to the brain for decoding by tiny little hairs in the inner ear that vibrate in response to sound waves.
Over time, many people develop a progressive decline in their ability to hear due to years of damage to these delicate hair cells. Comprehension of sound becomes a lot more difficult because of the decrease of electrical impulses to the brain.
This gradual hearing loss is sometimes regarded as a normal and inconsequential part of the aging process, but research shows that’s not the case. Whether the impulses are unclear and garbled, the brain will attempt to decode them anyway. That effort puts strain on the organ, making the individual struggling to hear more vulnerable to developing cognitive decline.
Here are a few disease risk factors that have hearing loss in common:
- Reduction in alertness
- Exhaustion
- Depression
- Memory impairment
- Overall diminished health
- Trouble learning new skills
- Irritability
And the more significant your hearing loss the greater your risk of dementia. A person with just minor impairment has twice the risk. Hearing loss that is more significant will bring the risk up by three times and very severe untreated hearing loss can put you at up to a five times higher risk. The cognitive skills of more than 2,000 older adults were observed by Johns Hopkins University over six years. They revealed that hearing loss advanced enough to interfere with conversation was 24 percent more likely to lead to memory and cognitive issues.
Why is a hearing test worthwhile?
Hearing loss affects the general health and that would most likely surprise many people. For most, the decline is gradual so they don’t always know there is an issue. As hearing declines, the human brain adapts gradually so it makes it less obvious.
We will be able to properly assess your hearing health and monitor any changes as they occur with regular hearing exams.
Decreasing the risk with hearing aids
Scientists presently believe that the relationship between cognitive decline and hearing loss is largely based on the brain strain that hearing loss produces. Based on that one fact, you might conclude that hearing aids reduce that risk. A hearing assistance device boosts sound while filtering out background noise that interferes with your hearing and alleviates the stress on your brain. With a hearing aid, the brain will not work as hard to comprehend the audio messages it’s getting.
People who have normal hearing can still possibly get dementia. But scientists think hearing loss quickens that decline. The key to decreasing that risk is regular hearing tests to diagnose and treat gradual hearing loss before it can have an affect on brain health.
If you’re worried that you may be dealing with hearing loss, give us a call today to schedule your hearing examination.