About 28 million individuals could be helped by wearing hearing aids. Of course, when we talk about statistics like that, we usually mean that those 28 million people would hear their surroundings a little more clearly if they had some help (in the form of a specialized device). But your hearing aids will also help you enjoy some other health advantages.
It turns out that something as easy as using your hearing aids could be good for your mental and physical health. Everything from a risk of falling to depression can be delayed or even stopped by these devices. Your hearing aids can literally keep you on your feet.
Mental Health Advantages of Hearing Aids
Modern medical research has firmly established a link between cognitive decline and hearing loss. Currently, the thinking is that, for a mixture of mental, social, and physical causes, hearing loss can lead to an escalated risk of mental illness, like cognitive decline, anxiety, depression, and dementia.
So it’s no surprise that the latest analyses has shown that hearing aids could have significant mental health advantages.
Reducing Your Chances 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 every day.
In other studies, the arrival of dementia was slowed by as much as two years by using hearing aids. This is really encouraging and with more research done to replicate and clarify these figures, we can come a long way in the fight against cognitive decline and illness.
Anxiety And Depression Can be Decreased
Lots of people suffer from anxiety and depression even if hearing loss is not a problem for them. But people with hearing loss have been shown to be at a higher risk of anxiety and depression over time.
Wearing your hearing aids can help keep you socially active and mentally engaged. Hearing aids can be especially helpful if those factors are contributing to depression and anxiety.
You’ll Feel Less Lonely
While dementia may sound much more severe, for people who have untreated hearing loss, isolation can be a serious issue, social isolation often being the cause and worsening symptoms. That social isolation can cause considerable changes to your disposition. So it can be a huge advantage if your hearing aids can help you continue to be socially involved.
To be certain, this ties together with your hearing aids’ ability to decrease the risks of depression, for example. All of these health issues, to some extent, are in some way linked.
The Physical Benefits of Hearing Aids
As your hearing impairment worsens, there is some research that shows that you might be at a higher risk of stroke. But that particular research is undoubtedly in the preliminary stages. It’s a little easier to recognize the more pronounced physical benefit of hearing aids: you won’t fall as much.
This takes place for two reasons:
- Situational awareness: Hearing aids can improve your situational awareness.
- Fall detection: At times, it’s not the fall that’s hazardous. Rather, it’s that you can’t get back up that produces possible danger. Fall detection is a standard feature of many newer hearing aid designs. You can program emergency phone numbers into your phone which will automatically be called if you take a tumble.
As you grow older falling down can have a devastating effect on your health. So avoiding falls (or decreasing the damage from falling) can be a huge benefit that ripples throughout your general health.
Wear Your Hearing Aids Everyday
These advantages, it’s worth pointing out, pertain to people who have hearing impairment. Hearing aids won’t, for example, help someone with healthy hearing avoid falling.
But wearing your hearing aids, if you do have hearing loss, is the best thing you can do for overall health.