The Link Between Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline

Many people in the United States experience hearing loss, especially older people. The link between aging and diminished hearing is well-established. For many people, the loss of hearing is only mild, while for others, it’s more severe. The impact of moderate hearing loss can be severe since it can influence your ability to communicate with your loved ones and make it more difficult to follow along with the sounds of everyday life. 

And there’s also a growing body of research that links hearing loss with cognitive decline. In this blog, we’re going to explore this relationship in more detail, as well as offer some tips on what you can do if you believe that you may be experiencing hearing loss.

Hearing Loss Can Resemble Cognitive Decline

In many cases, what people suspect to be dementia is actually hearing loss. They can present similar symptoms, such as having trouble following simple conversations. In this case, it’s important to get your hearing test, as this will identify the cause of the difficulty. It’s important to remember, however, that while your difficulty understanding speech may be related to hearing loss, not dementia, people that have hearing loss are at a greater risk of developing dementia. 

Does Hearing Loss Lead to Dementia? 

Research has identified a strong link between the onset of hearing loss and the development of dementia. That’s because hearing loss shrinks parts of the brain that control your auditory response. Studies have shown that brain neurons can be less active when hearing loss is present, which results in a decrease in gray matter.

These conditions can increase the likelihood that a person will develop dementia or experience other symptoms of cognitive decline. However, there’s also research that shows that addressing the person’s hearing loss, such as by wearing a hearing aid, can prevent the onset of cognitive decline. 

Testing for Hearing Loss

If you suspect that you may have hearing loss, then the first step will be to get your hearing tested by an audiologist. These thorough tests can identify the presence of hearing loss and the extent. If no hearing loss is detected, but you’re still experiencing symptoms, then it’ll be important to speak to your audiologist.

Even if you don’t currently suspect that you have hearing loss, there’s still a lot of value in taking the time to get your hearing tested regularly. Studies have shown that untreated hearing loss can accelerate the development of dementia and other cognitive decline conditions. By getting your hearing tested as often as possible, you can take control of your ability to hear. If your hearing ever reaches the point where you need a hearing aid, then the audiologist can find the right one for you. 

How Hearing Aids Can Help

There’s a growing body of research that shows that wearing a hearing aid to address hearing loss issues can help to reduce the likelihood of developing further cognitive decline. While wearing a hearing will not prevent the onset of dementia, people who wear them have been shown to be less affected by cognitive decline. Another study found that hearing aids can help to slow down the development of cognitive impairment. 

And those benefits are along with the many other benefits that wearing a hearing aid can bring. For instance, studies have shown that people that have untreated hearing loss are at increased risk of loneliness, depression and frustration. By taking the time to get a hearing aid fitted, you may well be enhancing multiple areas of your life. There are a series of hearing aid types available, including in the ear (ITE), in the canal (ITC) and behind the ear (BTE). 

The bottom line is that any level of hearing loss should not be ignored. Even if it’s not guaranteed that it will lead to cognitive decline, the increased risk means that it’s an issue that should be addressed as soon as you can. 

If you suspect that you may have hearing loss, then the first thing you’ll need to do is make an appointment for a hearing test with an audiologist. At GL Wyeno Hearing Specialists PC, our team is available to provide a thorough hearing test for you. If it’s found that your hearing has diminished, then we can work with you to find the right hearing aid. We provide ITE, BTE and ITC hearing aids. To make an appointment, simply give us a call at (402) 463-2431.