Hearing aids could help around 28 million people. This means that 28 million people would here their world clearer if they wore hearing aids. But there are also certain other, relatively unexpected health benefits that you can start to enjoy thanks to your hearing aids.
It turns out that something as easy as wearing your hearing aids could help your mental and physical health. Everything from a risk of falling to depression can be delayed or even prevented by these devices. Your hearing aids can literally help you stay on your feet.
Mental Health Benefits of Hearing Aids
Modern medical research has firmly established a connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline. Currently, the thinking is that, for a combination of mental, social, and physical factors, hearing loss can bring about an increased risk of mental illness, such as anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and dementia.
So the mental health benefits of hearing aids shouldn’t be all that unexpected.
Decreasing Your Risk of Dementia
Based on one study, wearing your hearing aids can help lower your risk of developing dementia by as much as 18%. And all you need to do to take advantage of this amazing benefit is remember to wear your hearing daily.
Other research has indicated that wearing your hearing aids regularly can delay the onset of dementia by as many as two years. This is very encouraging and with more research conducted to replicate and clarify these figures, we can come a long way in the battle against cognitive decline and illness.
Depression And Anxiety Can be Decreased
Anxiety and depression aren’t symptoms that are exclusive to people who have hearing loss. But individuals with hearing loss have been shown to have a higher risk of anxiety and depression 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 Feel as Lonely
While dementia might sound much more extreme, isolation can be a big problem for individuals who suffer from neglected hearing loss, social isolation often being the cause and worsening symptoms. Your overall mood can be dramatically affected by social separation. So being able to continue to be social and connected thanks to your hearing aid can be a big advantage.
And this is a good reason why, for instance, your hearing aid can help prevent conditions such as depression. To a certain extent, all of these health concerns connect in some way.
Hearing Aids And Physical Advantages
There is some data which suggests that as hearing loss symptoms become more apparent, your danger of stroke escalates. But this research is in preliminary stages. It’s a little simpler to recognize the more obvious physical benefit of hearing aids: you’ll fall less frequently.
There are a couple of explanations for this:
- Fall detection: In some cases, it’s not the fall that’s dangerous. Instead, it’s your inability to get back up that can be a real problem. Many new designs of hearing aids come with fall detection as a standard feature. With particular settings enabled, when you have a fall, a call will immediately be made to one of your pre-programmed emergency contacts so they will know to check on you.
- Situational awareness: For instance, if your pet is running up to you, you hear them and anticipate them rushing around the corner.
Falling can have rather substantial health effects, particularly as you age. So preventing falls (or reducing the damage from falls) can be a significant benefit that ripples throughout your general health.
Be Sure to Wear Your Hearing Aids
These advantages, it’s worth pointing out, apply to people who suffer from hearing impairment. If you have healthy hearing, then using a hearing aid will most likely not decrease your risk of cognitive decline, for example.
But using your hearing aids, if you do have hearing loss, is the smartest thing you can do for general health.