Age-related hearing loss can have diverse impacts across your whole life. Not only is your ability to hear impacted, but also your social life, your professional networks, and even your cognitive abilities. The way your brain functions, including your mood and memory, can be significantly affected by hearing loss.
The connection between cognition and hearing loss isn’t always obvious. People usually don’t relate their memory issues, for instance, with hearing loss even though it’s one of the first symptoms. Unfortunately, the truth is that memory loss and hearing loss are closely related.
What does loss of hearing have to do with memory? Well, hearing loss puts a unique strain on your brain and that’s, at least to some extent, the connection. Usually, when your hearing loss symptoms are effectively managed, your cognitive abilities will sharpen.
How hearing loss impacts memory
Hearing loss can be hard to notice. It isn’t uncommon for individuals to miss the more discreet and early signs. Hearing loss might only be identified, for people in this category, when it becomes more severe. The advancement of hearing loss is usually slow over time and that’s in part why it’s initially hard to detect. It’s commonly easy to dismiss symptoms and, essentially, raise the volume on your television a little more every few days (or weeks).
Another aspect is how good the brain is at compensating for loss of sound. Consequently, you might not notice that people are harder to understand. This is beneficial in that you will most likely experience fewer interruptions to your daily life. However, compensating in this way requires substantial brain power. Requiring your brain to perform at this level for long periods can lead to:
- Unexplained irritability
- Memory loss or forgetfulness
- Chronic fatigue
If you’re experiencing these symptoms, we’ll be able to inform you whether the underlying cause is hearing loss or not. If it’s determined that you are dealing with hearing loss, we can help you formulate the best treatment plan.
Can memory problems be the outcome of hearing loss?
Obviously, your brain can be affected by hearing loss in other ways besides mental exhaustion. Forgetfulness is often a notable presentation. This is particularly true of neglected hearing loss. The cause and effect relationship is not fully understood, but it’s obvious that there is a connection between hearing loss and the following issues:
- Social isolation: It’s not unusual for individuals to disengage from social contact when they have untreated hearing loss. You’ll go out less frequently, talk to the cashier at the supermarket less, and so on. Your brain will often alter the way it processes information as a result.
- Increased risk of depression and anxiety: An increase in anxiety and depression due to neglected hearing loss isn’t uncommon according to numerous studies. And once again, when the root hearing loss has been managed, the risk factor drops considerably.
- Increased risk of dementia: Individuals who have neglected hearing loss frequently have an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. When the hearing loss is effectively managed, the risk diminishes significantly.
All of these concerns are obviously intertwined. Social solitude can worsen depression and other mental health issues. Similarly, that type of isolation can also increase your risk of developing dementia.
Does hearing loss cause mental decline?
Your risk of mental decline and dementia is increased by neglected hearing loss, and that’s one of the more severe outcomes of neglecting your hearing issues. Scientists have some theories about why this may be, but what’s obvious is that management of symptoms helps significantly. In other words, managing your hearing loss has been shown to slow mental decline and lower your risk of developing dementia later in life.
Dealing with hearing loss induced forgetfulness
If your fatigue and forgetfulness are caused by untreated hearing loss, the good news is that treating your hearing loss symptoms can definitely have a positive impact. Here are a few things we might suggest if hearing loss is identified:
- The use of hearing aids: Utilizing a hearing aid can help you hear better. This can lead to less strain on your cognitive abilities and an improvement in your social situation. Your risk of dementia, depression, and other possible problems can be decreased and your cognition can be improved by limiting your social isolation.
- Hearing protection: Some of the mental decline previously mentioned can be avoided and additional damage can be minimized by using hearing protection.
- Regular screenings: Before any issues start to occur, routine screenings can detect them. Managing your hearing loss early can prevent cognitive strain.
You don’t have to stay forgetful!
You can restore strength of memory even if hearing loss is presently causing a little forgetfulness. In many circumstances, mental functions will come back once your brain doesn’t need to strain so hard. When you hear better, your brain doesn’t have to work so hard, and that rest can do a world of good.
Scheduling an appointment with us can drastically improve your outlook and decrease your risk for other issues. Contact us today!