Something like 28 million people could benefit from using hearing aids. Naturally, when we discuss data like that, we generally mean that those 28 million individuals would hear the world a little bit more clearly if they had some help (like hearing aids). But your hearing aids will also help you take advantage of some other health advantages.
It turns out that something as simple as wearing your hearing aids could be good for your mental and physical health. These little devices can help stop (or delay) everything from depression to fall-induced-injury. Your hearing aids can literally help you stay on your feet.
Mental Health Benefits of Hearing Aids
The connection between untreated hearing loss and mental decline is pretty well established by modern medical studies. Mental illnesses like dementia, cognitive decline, anxiety, and depression, in line with current thinking, can be triggered by hearing loss due to a combination of physical, mental and social factors.
So it’s not surprising that the latest analyses has suggested that hearing aids could have significant mental health advantages.
Lowering Your Chances of Dementia
Your chances of dementia can be reduced, based on one study, by almost 20%. That’s a fantastic advantage when the only thing you need to do is remember to wear your hearing aids on a daily basis.
Other research has suggested that wearing your hearing aids on a regular basis can slow the onset of dementia by up to two years. Further research has to be carried out to help explain and replicate these results, but it’s certainly encouraging.
Anxiety And Depression Can be Reduced
Many individuals suffer from depression and anxiety even if they don’t have hearing loss. But there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that those with hearing loss are at increased risk of developing both anxiety and depression as time goes on.
When you use hearing aids, you are likely to stay more mentally focused and engaged socially. If those were contributing factors to anxiety and depression, they can help.
You Won’t be as Lonely
While it may not sound as dire or imperative as dementia, loneliness can be a big issue for individuals with untreated hearing loss, caused by and exacerbating a sense of social isolation. Your overall mood can be substantially influenced by social isolation. So being able to continue to be social and engaged with help from your hearing aid can be a huge advantage.
And this is a good reason why, for instance, your hearing aid can help counter conditions such as depression. All of these health issues, to some extent, are in some manner connected.
Hearing Aids And Physical Advantages
As your hearing impairment worsens, there is some research that shows that you could be at a higher risk of stroke. But this research is in preliminary phases. It’s a little simpler to recognize the more obvious physical advantage of hearing aids: you’ll fall less often.
There are a couple of explanations for this:
- Situational awareness: With hearing aids, your situational awareness will be enhanced letting you steer clear of obstacles and avoid falling down.
- Fall detection: At times, it’s not the fall that’s dangerous. Rather, it’s that you can’t get back up that produces possible danger. Many new models of hearing aids come with fall detection as a standard feature. With specific 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.
As you grow older falling down can have a devastating impact on your health. So preventing falls (or minimizing the damage from falls) can be a substantial benefit that ripples throughout your general health.
Make Sure You Wear Your Hearing Aids
These benefits, it’s worth pointing out, apply to people who have hearing impairment. Hearing aids won’t, for example, help somebody with healthy hearing avoid falling.
But if you do have hearing loss, the smartest thing you can do for your hearing, and for the rest of your body, is to use your hearing aids.