Amidst hectic schedules and the distractions of events, it’s all too easy to put off essential appointments, like those with a hearing specialist or for fitting hearing aids. You might not even get around to shopping for hearing aids whatsoever. But hearing loss impacts more than only your ears and holding off on treatment can have negative effects on your entire life.
The connection to mental decline
Scientists have established a clear link between untreated hearing loss and mental decline. This underscores the critical importance of not delaying treatment, as it can have adverse effects on your brain function too.
The impact on hearing
If you care about the health of your hearing, it’s essential to never ignore any symptoms of hearing loss. By avoiding appointments with a hearing specialist or delaying the purchase of hearing aids, you inadvertently subject your ears to further damage.
You may find yourself constantly increasing the volume on your various devices, exacerbating the damage to your ears and speeding up the development of hearing loss. Wearing a hearing aid can help mitigate this by selectively amplifying particular frequencies, thereby slowing down the progression of hearing loss.
The connection to mental function
There’s a close link between your sense of hearing and your brain. Research indicates that untreated hearing loss can have significant repercussions on cognitive function. Over time, mental decline can be worsened by depression and anxiety caused by social isolation.
Furthermore, prolonged untreated hearing loss causes the brain to adapt by reallocating resources from auditory processing to other functions, such as visual processing, potentially complicating the recovery of healthy hearing function later on.
Navigating neuroplasticity
In this scenario, neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt, can be both a friend and a foe. The brain will have a hard time reverting back to its previous state after it rewires itself to accommodate for prolonged untreated hearing loss.
However, it’s not impossible to reverse these effects. Despite previous delays in seeking treatment, using hearing aids as prescribed by a specialist can still deliver significant benefits in both the short and long term.
Call us for an appointment
While timely treatment is ideal, it’s never too late to address hearing loss. Making an appointment with us as soon as possible is essential, ensuring you can enjoy better hearing and cognitive function going forward. Call today!