An estimated 28 million people could benefit from using hearing aids. Which means that 28 million people could here their environment clearer if they had hearing aids. But there are also certain other, somewhat surprising health advantages that you can start to enjoy thanks to your hearing aids.
Your mental and physical health can, as it turns out, be improved by something as straight forward as using hearing aids. Everything from a risk of falling to depression can be slowed or even stopped by these gadgets. Your hearing aids can literally help you stay on your feet.
Mental Health Advantages of Hearing Aids
Modern medical studies have firmly demonstrated a connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline. Mental illnesses such as dementia, cognitive decline, anxiety, and depression, according to current thinking, can be triggered by hearing loss due to a combination of mental, physical and social factors.
So the mental health benefits of hearing aids shouldn’t be very unexpected.
Reducing Your Chances of Dementia
Your chances of dementia can be lowered, according to one study, by nearly 20%. That’s a fantastic benefit when all you need to do is remember to wear your hearing aids each day.
In other research, the arrival of dementia was slowed by as much as two years by using hearing aids. This is very encouraging and with more research done to duplicate and clarify these numbers, we can come a long way in the battle against cognitive decline and illness.
Decrease Anxiety And Depression
Lots of people suffer from depression and anxiety even if they don’t have hearing loss. But there is enough evidence to indicate that those who have hearing loss are at increased risk of developing both anxiety and depression as time goes on.
When you wear hearing aids, you are likely to stay more tuned in mentally and socially engaged. Hearing aids can be particularly helpful if those factors are contributing to depression and anxiety.
You Won’t Feel as Lonely
While dementia may sound much more extreme, loneliness can be a big problem for those with neglected hearing loss, caused by and exacerbating a sense of social solitude. That social separation can cause considerable changes to your mood. So being able to stay social and connected thanks to your hearing aid can be a great advantage.
And this is an excellent reason why, for example, your hearing aid can help protect against conditions such as depression. All of these health problems, to a certain degree, are in some manner connected.
Hearing Aids And Physical Benefits
There’s some data which indicates that as hearing loss symptoms become more apparent, your danger of stroke goes up. But that specific research is undoubtedly in the preliminary stages. The most obvious (and noticeable) physical advantage of hearing aids is a little more straightforward: you won’t fall as often.
There are a couple of explanations for this:
- Fall detection: Many times, it’s getting back up after a fall that is the real danger, not the fall itself. Fall detection is a standard feature of many newer hearing aid models. With particular settings enabled, when you take a tumble, a call will immediately be made to one of your pre-programmed emergency contacts so they know to check on you.
- Situational awareness: If your pet, as an example, is zooming out to greet you, you will be able to hear them coming and will be ready for them to be under your feet.
As you age falling down can have a devastating effect on your health. So your overall health can be protected by decreasing damage from falls or preventing them altogether.
Wear Your Hearing Aids Everyday
It’s worth noting that all of these benefits apply to people who suffer from hearing conditions. Hearing aids won’t, for instance, help someone with healthy hearing avoid a fall.
But if you do suffer from hearing loss, the best thing you can do for your ears, and for overall health, is to wear your hearing aids.