Amidst hectic schedules and the distractions of events, it’s all too simple to put off important appointments, like those with a hearing specialist or for a hearing aid fitting. You may even find yourself hesitating to get hearing aids altogether. But hearing loss affects more than just your ears and delaying treatment can have detrimental effects on your entire life.
Neglected hearing loss can lead to a higher risk of cognitive decline
A clear connection between cognitive decline and untreated hearing loss has been established by scientists and researchers. This underscores the crucial importance of not holding off on treatment, as it can have negative effects on your brain function too.
The impact on hearing
If you care about the health of your hearing, it’s important to never neglect any symptoms of hearing loss. By avoiding appointments with a hearing specialist or holding off on the purchase of hearing aids, you inadvertently subject your ears to further damage.
You might find yourself constantly increasing the volume on your various devices, worsening the damage to your ears and accelerating the progression of hearing loss. Hearing aids can amplify particular frequencies of sound thereby slowing down the advancement of hearing loss.
The link to cognitive function
Your brain and your hearing are intricately connected. Cognitive function can be severely impacted by neglected hearing loss according to some substantial research. Over time, mental decline can be worsened by depression and anxiety brought on by social isolation.
Furthermore, prolonged neglected hearing loss causes the brain to adapt by reallocating resources from auditory processing to other functions, such as visual processing, potentially complicating the restoration of normal hearing function later on.
Navigating neuroplasticity
The brain’s amazing ability to adapt, known as neuroplasticity, is both a friend and a foe in this scenario. While it allows for flexibility and restoration, extended neglected hearing loss can lead to significant rewiring of the brain, making it difficult to revert to previous functionality.
But it is possible to reverse this effect. In both the short and the long term, making use of hearing aids can bring significant benefits even if you’ve put off on getting treatment for some time.
Make an appointment with a hearing specialist
You should obviously seek treatment as soon as you can, but even if you’ve put off for a while, it’s not too late to seek help. If you’re ready to enjoy better hearing and stronger cognitive function, call us today for an assessment!