An estimated 28 million people could benefit from wearing hearing aids. Needless to say, when we discuss 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 there are also some other, somewhat unexpected health benefits 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 wearing 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.
Hearing Aids And Mental Health Benefits
The connection between neglected hearing loss and mental decline is fairly well demonstrated by modern medical research. Mental illnesses like dementia, cognitive decline, anxiety, and depression, according to current thinking, can be triggered by hearing loss due to a mix of mental, physical and social factors.
So the mental health benefits of hearing aids shouldn’t be all that striking.
Reducing Your Risk of Dementia
Your chances of dementia can be decreased, according to one study, by nearly 20%. And all you need to do to take advantage of this awesome advantage is remember to wear your hearing daily.
Other research has indicated that wearing your hearing aids regularly can forestall the onset of dementia by as many as two years. Further research needs to be carried out to help explain and duplicate these results, but it’s certainly encouraging.
Decrease Depression And Anxiety
Anxiety and depression aren’t symptoms that are exclusive to individuals who suffer from hearing loss. But individuals with hearing loss have been shown to be at a higher risk of depression and anxiety over time.
Wearing your hearing aids can help you stay socially involved and mentally connected. Hearing aids can be particularly helpful if those factors are contributing to depression and anxiety.
You Won’t Feel as Lonely
While it might not sound as serious or imperative as dementia, loneliness can be a serious issue for individuals who suffer from neglected hearing loss, social solitude often being the cause and adding fuel to the fire. That social isolation can cause substantial changes to your disposition. So it can be a huge advantage if your hearing aids can help you remain socially involved.
To be sure, this ties together with your hearing aids’ ability to reduce the risks of depression, for example. All of these health concerns, to some extent, are in some way linked.
Hearing Aids And Physical Advantages
As your hearing impairment gets worse, there is some research that shows that you could be at a higher risk of having a stroke. But this research is in preliminary phases. The most obvious (and perceptible) physical benefit of hearing aids is a little simpler: you’ll fall less often.
This takes place for two reasons:
- Situational awareness: This means you’ll be more capable of avoiding obstacles that might cause a fall.
- Fall detection: Often, it’s getting back up after a fall that is the significant hazard, not the fall itself. Many new designs of hearing aids have fall detection as a standard feature. With particular 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.
As you age falling down can have a devastating impact on your health. So avoiding falls (or reducing the damage from falls) can be a significant benefit that ripples throughout your overall health.
Wear Your Hearing Aids Everyday
It’s worth noting that all of these advantages apply to individuals who have hearing conditions. If your hearing is healthy, then wearing a hearing aid will likely not reduce your risk of dementia, for instance.
But wearing your hearing aids, if you do have hearing loss, is the smartest thing you can do for overall health.