Between hectic schedules and the disruptions of events, it’s all too simple to put off important appointments, like those with a hearing specialist or for fitting hearing aids. You might even find yourself hesitating to order hearing aids altogether. But hearing loss affects more than only your ears and delaying treatment can have detrimental effects on your entire life.
Untreated hearing loss can result in a higher risk of cognitive decline
Scientists have demonstrated a clear link between neglected hearing loss and mental decline. This underscores the critical importance of not holding off on treatment, as it can have adverse effects on your mental function also.
The impact on hearing
Naturally, it’s evident that putting off treatment for hearing loss isn’t helpful for maintaining your auditory health. You unintentionally cause more harm to your hearing if you put off on getting a hearing exam or hearing aids if you need them.
The advancement of your hearing loss will be quickened if you continuously need to crank up the volume on your devices. Hearing aids can increase particular frequencies of sound thereby delaying the advancement of hearing loss.
The link to mental function
Your brain and your hearing are intricately linked. Mental function can be severely impacted by neglected hearing loss according to some significant research. Over time, cognitive decline can be exacerbated by depression and anxiety brought on by social separation.
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 restoration of healthy hearing function later on.
Navigating neuroplasticity
The brain’s phenomenal ability to adapt, known as neuroplasticity, is both a friend and a foe in this scenario. The brain will have a difficult time reverting back to its previous state after it rewires itself to accommodate for extended untreated hearing loss.
However, it isn’t impossible to undo these effects. In both the short and the long term, utilizing hearing aids can bring significant benefits even if you’ve held off on getting treatment for some time.
Give us a call for an appointment
You should obviously find treatment as soon as you can, but even if you’ve put off for a while, it’s not too late to get help. If you’re ready to enjoy better hearing and stronger mental function, call us today for an assessment!
