Hearing aids could help about 28 million people. Needless to say, when we talk about data like that, we usually mean that those 28 million people would hear their surroundings a little better if they had some help (like hearing aids). But your hearing aids will also help you enjoy some other health benefits.
Your physical and mental health can, as it so happens, be helped by something as easy as using hearing aids. These little gadgets can help prevent (or forestall) everything from depression to fall-induced-injury. In many ways, your hearing aids can help keep you on your feet.
Mental Health Benefits of Hearing Aids
Modern medical studies have firmly established a connection between cognitive decline and hearing loss. Mental illnesses including dementia, cognitive decline, anxiety, and depression, according to current thinking, can be triggered by hearing loss as a consequence of a combination of physical, mental and social factors.
So the mental health benefits of hearing aids shouldn’t be very surprising.
Reducing Your Risk of Dementia
Your chances of dementia can be lowered, based on one study, by almost 20%. And all you have to do to make the most of this amazing advantage is remember to wear your hearing daily.
Other research has indicated that wearing your hearing aids regularly can delay the onset of dementia by up to a couple of years. This is really encouraging and with more research done to duplicate and clarify these numbers, we can come a long way in the battle against mental decline and illness.
Depression And Anxiety Can be Reduced
Many people suffer from depression and anxiety even if they don’t have hearing loss. But individuals with hearing loss have been shown to have a higher risk of anxiety and depression over time.
When you use hearing aids, you are likely to stay more tuned in mentally and socially engaged. If those were contributing factors to depression and anxiety, they can help.
You’ll Feel Less Lonely
While dementia may sound much more extreme, for people with neglected hearing loss, loneliness can be a genuine issue, caused by and exacerbating a sense of social isolation. Your overall mood can be dramatically influenced by social separation. So it can be a huge advantage if your hearing aids can help you remain socially involved.
And this is an excellent reason why, for example, your hearing aid can help counter conditions like depression. All of these health concerns, to some extent, are in some manner linked.
Hearing Aids And Physical Advantages
There is some data which suggests that as hearing loss symptoms become more apparent, your danger of stroke escalates. But that particular research is undoubtedly on the preliminary side. The most obvious (and noticeable) physical advantage of hearing aids is a little more straightforward: you’ll fall less often.
There are a couple of explanations for this:
- Situational awareness: Hearing aids can enhance your situational awareness.
- Fall detection: Frequently, it’s getting back up after a fall that is the significant danger, not the fall itself. Fall detection is a standard feature of many newer hearing aid designs. With specific settings enabled, when you have a fall, a call will automatically 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 effect on your health. So your overall health can be safeguarded by decreasing damage from falls or avoiding them altogether.
Wear Your Hearing Aids Everyday
These advantages, it’s worth pointing out, apply to individuals who have hearing impairment. If your hearing is healthy, then wearing a hearing aid will probably not reduce your risk of dementia, for instance.
But if you do have hearing loss, the smartest thing you can do for your ears, and for the rest of your body, is to wear your hearing aids.