Putting off on important appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amongst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day events. You might even find yourself hesitating to order hearing aids altogether. However, delaying treatment for hearing loss is a lot more than just a misstep concerning your ears alone.
Neglected hearing loss can lead to a higher risk of mental decline
A clear connection between cognitive decline and untreated hearing loss has been demonstrated by scientists and researchers. This is one reason why delaying treatment is never a good plan.
Hearing loss will get worse if it’s neglected
Naturally, it’s evident that delaying treatment for hearing loss isn’t helpful for maintaining your auditory health. You unintentionally cause more damage to your hearing if you put off on getting a hearing exam or hearing aids if you need them.
You might find yourself constantly increasing the volume on your various devices, exacerbating the damage to your ears and accelerating the progression of hearing loss. Using a hearing aid can help alleviate this by selectively amplifying specific frequencies, thereby delaying the advancement of hearing loss.
The connection to cognitive function
There’s a direct connection between your sense of hearing and your brain. Mental function can be severely impacted by neglected hearing loss according to some significant research. Social solitude, frequently a consequence of weakened hearing, can result in mental health issues like depression and anxiety, which in turn can exacerbate cognitive decline over time.
Furthermore, prolonged neglected hearing loss prompts the brain to adapt by reallocating resources from auditory processing to other functions, such as visual processing, potentially complicating the recovery of normal hearing function down the road.
Navigating neuroplasticity
The brain’s phenomenal ability to adapt, known as neuroplasticity, is both a friend and a foe in this scenario. The brain will have a difficult time reverting back to its previous state after it rewires itself to accommodate for extended untreated hearing loss.
But it is possible to undo this effect. In both the short and the long term, utilizing hearing aids can bring considerable benefits even if you’ve put off on getting treatment for some time.
Call us for an appointment
You should obviously seek treatment as soon as possible, but even if you’ve delayed for a while, it’s not too late to seek help. Scheduling an appointment with us as soon as possible is crucial, ensuring you can enjoy improved hearing and cognitive function going forward. Call today!