- A Closer Look at Common Myths About Hearing Loss - May 7, 2024
- The Impact of Pets on Emotional and Hearing Health - April 26, 2024
- Strategies for Coping with Single-Sided Deafness - April 16, 2024
Hearing loss is the third most common medical condition in the United States, affecting 48 million Americans. For older Americans, one in three over the age of 65 and 50% over the age of 75 experience some degree of hearing loss. For people over the age of 85, 80% experience some degree of hearing loss. Even though it is common, only an estimated 20% of people with hearing loss receive treatment.
Untreated hearing loss has been linked to issues beyond one’s physical health. The Hearing Loss Association of America reports that people wait an average of seven years from the time they first experience signs of hearing loss before they decide to take a hearing test and seek treatment. Treating hearing loss brings many benefits, such as higher income, improved cognitive function, and better physical and mental health.
Treating Hearing Loss Improves Your Earning Power
An estimated 60% of people with hearing loss are in the work force or in academic settings in the US. The Hearing Loss Association of America reports: “While people in the workplace with the mildest hearing losses show little or no drop in income compared to their normal hearing peers, as the hearing loss increases, so does the reduction in compensation.” Unfortunately, with untreated hearing loss, people struggle with speech recognition. This experience alone causes higher levels of stress and anxiety in the workplace. Additionally, the strain on our cognitive abilities to process muddled sound signals could lead to a drop in concentration and memory, which also contributes to a lack of productivity on the job. Overall, these factors may contribute poorly to one’s performance on the job. The good news: studies have determined that people who treat their hearing loss with hearing aids show now difference in earning power than colleagues who have normal hearing.
Benefits to Cognitive Function
Because our sense of hearing is processed in the brain, untreated hearing loss could cause problems with our cognitive abilities. While our outer ears are responsible for picking up sounds and our middle ears are responsible for turning those sounds into vibrations, the actually process of hearing – recognizing sounds – happens in the brain.
Untreated hearing loss causes an interruption in this process, with muddled sound signals making their way to the brain. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have discovered potential links between untreated hearing loss and dementia. The heavier cognitive load that the brain must bear with hearing loss causes a detraction from our normal cognitive processes, interfering with memory. The good news: studies have shown that people who treat hearing loss with hearing aids performed better on cognitive tests than counterparts who did not. With the use of hearing aids, sounds are clarified and amplified, which reduces the stress on our cognitive abilities.
Treating Hearing Loss Improves Your Safety – and Others’ as Well!
Researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health report that hearing loss “could increase the risk of falls and injuries, lead to increased functional limitation and subsequent disability and reduce one’s activity and participation, leading to decreased quality of life.” One study found that “women with moderate or greater hearing loss had a 31% greater increased risk of disability compared to those with normal hearing.” In a different study, researchers discovered that “people with moderate to severe hearing impairment had significantly poorer driving performance in the presence of auditory distractors compared to those with normal or mild hearing impairment.” Perhaps because our hearing abilities are linked to our vestibular system, and because we use sound to stay connected to our environment, the treatment of hearing loss helps our safety.
Moreover, if you’re out and about in the world with untreated hearing loss, you may not hear alarms or horns to alert you of danger. With hearing loss, you may jeopardize your own safety and that of others’ as well.
Treating Hearing Loss Brings Emotional Benefits
Many people with untreated hearing loss experience social isolation. With struggles in speech recognition and conversation, many people with untreated hearing loss begin to avoid social interaction. Some may find withdrawing from friends and loved ones preferable to dealing with the experience of hearing loss. Others may do so completely unconsciously, withdrawing without even meaning to, to avoid difficulties with communication in group settings. Untreated hearing loss has been linked to irritability, anger, fatigue, stress, and depression.
Get Your Hearing Tested at New Leaf Hearing Clinic
There’s no reason to live with untreated hearing loss. Experience the benefits today of treating your hearing loss with the use of hearing aids. If you believe you may be experiencing a hearing loss, contact us at New Leaf Hearing Clinic for a comprehensive hearing test.