Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline
The ear is incredibly complicated and miraculous. But guess what? You do not actually HEAR with your ears. You hear with your brain. Why is this important? It has to do with the link between untreated hearing loss and brain function decline.
A recent report suggests that hearing loss is one of the strongest modifiable risk factors associated with dementia. If a person waits too long to address their hearing loss, it can become exceedingly difficult for the brain to process sounds and make sense of them.
According to Blue Wave audiologist Shelli Carson, “sensory hearing loss is permanent and progressive, so by the time patients realize they are missing key parts of speech, it can take weeks to regain spatial awareness, which includes localization, speech clarity, and recall of conversation.”
Another interference with brain function comes from the increase in cognitive load that hearing loss causes. It slowly becomes exhausting to struggle to hear the world as hearing declines. People must concentrate so hard on lip reading, body language, and contextual clues just to understand a sentence. Increased tiredness and acute fixation on listening means less energy and ability to even think about what was said, contemplate the subject at hand, and form an opinion or response.
Your brain cannot maintain its beautiful expansive acuity because the focus narrows to just trying to hear and understand a single word.
The good news is that treating hearing loss with hearing aids can help slow down cognitive decline. Address your hearing health today by scheduling your free consultation with Shelli Carson.
Call 479-876-0110 or visit www.BlueWaveHearing.com.
22 Sugar Creek Center, Bella Vista