Between hectic schedules and the disruptions of events, it’s all too easy to put off important appointments, like those with a hearing specialist or for fitting hearing aids. You might not even get around to shopping for hearing aids at all. However, putting off on treatment for hearing loss is far more than just a misstep concerning your ears alone.
Untreated hearing loss can lead to a greater risk of mental decline
Scientists have established a clear link between neglected hearing loss and mental decline. This underscores the crucial importance of not holding off on 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 important to never neglect any symptoms of hearing loss. You unintentionally cause more harm to your hearing if you put off on getting a hearing examination or hearing aids if you need them.
You might find yourself continually increasing the volume on your various devices, exacerbating the damage to your ears and accelerating the development of hearing loss. Hearing aids can amplify specific frequencies of sound thereby delaying the progression of hearing loss.
The link between neglected hearing loss and mental function
There’s a direct link between your sense of hearing and your brain. Research indicates that neglected hearing loss can have considerable consequences on mental function. Over time, cognitive decline can be worsened by depression and anxiety caused by social isolation.
Also, the recovery of healthy hearing function can be complicated because untreated hearing loss will force the brain to adapt by reallocating mental resources from other functions, such as visual processes, over to auditory processes.
Navigating neuroplasticity
In this situation, 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 extended neglected hearing loss.
However, it isn’t impossible to reverse 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.
Set up an appointment with a hearing specialist
While timely treatment is ideal, it’s never too late to tackle hearing loss. Scheduling an appointment with us as soon as you can is crucial, ensuring you can enjoy improved hearing and cognitive function going forward. Call today!