Hearing aids could help approximately 28 million people. Which means that 28 million people would here their environment clearer if they had hearing aids. But your hearing aids can also help you enjoy some other health advantages.
As it turns out, something as easy as wearing your hearing aids could be good for your physical and mental health. Everything from depression to a risk of falling can be slowed or even stopped by these gadgets. In more ways than one, your hearing aids can help you stay on your feet.
Mental Health Benefits of Hearing Aids
The connection between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline is rather well established by modern medical research. Currently, the thinking is that, for a combination of social, mental, and physical factors, hearing loss can bring about an increased risk of mental illness, including anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and dementia.
So it’s no surprise that the latest analyses has shown that hearing aids could have considerable mental health advantages.
Reducing Your Chances of Dementia
Your chances of dementia can be reduced, according to one study, by almost 20%. And all you need to do to make the most of this awesome benefit is remember to wear your hearing daily.
Other research has suggested that wearing your hearing aids on a regular basis can slow the onset of dementia by as many as two years. This is very inspiring and with more research done to duplicate and clarify these figures, we can come a long way in the fight against cognitive decline and illness.
Decrease Depression And Anxiety
Many individuals suffer from anxiety and depression even if they don’t have hearing loss. But there is plenty of evidence to indicate that people with hearing loss are at increased risk of developing both depression and anxiety as time goes on.
When you have hearing aids, you tend to stay more mentally focused and engaged socially. Hearing aids can be especially helpful if those factors are contributing to depression and anxiety.
You’ll Feel Less Lonely
While dementia might sound much more severe, for individuals who have untreated hearing loss, loneliness can be a real problem, caused by and exacerbating a sense of social isolation. That social separation can cause significant changes to your disposition. So being able to continue to be social and involved thanks to your hearing aid can be a big advantage.
And this is an excellent reason why, for instance, your hearing aid can help counter conditions like depression. To some degree, all of these health problems are linked in some manner.
The Physical Advantages of Hearing Aids
As your hearing impairment worsens, there is some research that shows that you might be at a higher risk of having a stroke. But that particular research is obviously on the preliminary side. The most pronounced (and perceptible) physical benefit of hearing aids is a little simpler: you won’t fall as much.
This takes place for two reasons:
- Situational awareness: This means you’ll be more capable of steering clear of obstacles that could cause a fall.
- Fall detection: Many times, it’s getting back up after a fall that is the significant danger, not the fall itself. Many new models of hearing aids come with fall detection as a standard feature. With certain settings equipped, when you have a fall, a call will automatically be made to one of your pre-programmed emergency contacts so they know to check up on you.
Falling can have rather significant health effects, especially as you age. So your general health can be safeguarded by reducing damage from falls or avoiding them altogether.
Be Certain to Wear Your Hearing Aids
It’s worth noting that all of these benefits apply to those who have hearing ailments. Hearing aids won’t, for example, help somebody with healthy hearing avoid falling.
But if you do suffer from hearing loss, the smartest thing you can do for your hearing, and for overall health, is to wear your hearing aids.