The health impacts of hearing loss can go well beyond your ears alone. While changes to your perception of the environment around you might be the first thing you notice, there are lingering dangers, such as changes to your cognitive health, as well. Here, we’re going to look at how you can keep your brain active when you’re living with hearing loss, and why it’s so vital to take measures against cognitive decline.
The Ear-Brain Connection
Understanding the impact of ear health and brain health is vital, especially for seniors who want to live a safe and independent life for as long as possible. There has been evidence of links between hearing loss and a higher risk of cognitive decline, including the rate of diseases like dementia. It’s currently believed that the loss of hearing causes the loss of signals to parts of the brain which can begin a chain reaction of decline that can start to affect more and more of it.
Engage With The Help Of Technology
Technology plays a huge role in helping us connect with the world around us and keeps our brains active. Even simply watching TV can help you do just that, and you can take steps towards improving your TV experience with hearing aids, using features such as direct audio feed via Bluetooth so that you’re better able to enjoy it. You can also use technology to stay connected with loved ones, even if they live far away. Communication and a sense of community is vital, as isolation is another one of the leading risk factors when it comes to your risk of cognitive decline.
Engage In Brain-Training
Cognitive decline can be actively staved off with the help of the right puzzles and brain training exercises. Hearing loss doesn’t get in the way of puzzles such as crosswords, online Sudoku games, chess, or jigsaw puzzles. These games can provide the mental stimulation you need without worrying about sound. Work on maintaining your problem-solving abilities, memory, and focus. The brain works like a muscle, to some degree. The more you use parts of it, the more they stay healthy as a result.
It’s Vital To Get It Treated
The main risks of cognitive decline as a reaction to hearing loss are particularly felt when that hearing loss is undiagnosed and untreated. If you suspect that you have hearing loss, it’s essential that you get in touch with your local hearing health expert to get a definitive answer. After diagnosing hearing loss, if you have it, they can provide tools such as hearing aids which can give you an instant improvement to your life. They can also help you better enjoy socializing, hobbies, and art without having to strain.
Undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss is a major risk to your quality of life in a wide variety of ways. Taking the steps to address it can result in not just immediate improvements but can help you support your quality of life for years to come.