Feel like you might be forgetting something important? You aren’t imagining it. Remembering everyday things is becoming more and more difficult. Once you notice it, memory loss seems to advance quickly. The more aware you are of it, the more incapacitating it becomes. Did you know memory loss is linked to hearing loss?
If you believe that this is simply a natural part of getting older, you would be wrong. Losing the ability to process memories always has an underlying reason.
For many that cause is neglected hearing loss. Is your ability to remember being affected by hearing loss? You can slow down the onset of memory loss considerably and possibly even get some back if you are aware of what’s causing it.
Here are some facts to consider.
How memory loss can be triggered by untreated hearing loss
There is a relationship. As a matter of fact, scientists have found that individuals who have untreated hearing loss are 24% more likely to develop dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other profound cognitive problems.
The reasons for this higher risk are multi-fold.
Mental fatigue
At first, hearing loss causes the brain to work extra hard. You have to strain to listen to something. While this came naturally in the past, it’s now something your mind needs to strain to process.
You begin to use your deductive reasoning skills. You attempt to figure out what people probably said by eliminating unlikely possibilities.
Your brain is under additional strain as a result. It’s especially stressful when your deductive reasoning abilities lead you astray. This can result in embarrassment, misunderstandings, and even resentment.
Stress has a significant effect on how we process memory. Mental resources that we should be using for memory get tied up when we’re suffering from stress.
As the hearing loss advances, something new happens.
Feeling older
This strain of having to work overtime to hear and asking people to repeat themselves makes a person “feel older” than they actually are. This can start a downhill spiral in which ideas of “getting old” when you’re still young become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Social withdrawal
We’re all familiar with that narrative of somebody whose loneliness causes them to lose touch with the world around them. Humans are social creatures. Even people who are introverted struggle when they’re never with others.
A person with disregarded hearing loss slowly becomes secluded. It’s more difficult to have phone conversations. You need to have people repeat what they said at social functions making them a lot less enjoyable. Friends and family begin to exclude you from discussions. You might be off in space feeling secluded even when you’re in a room full of people. The radio may not even be there to keep you company over time.
Being on your own just seems easier. You feel older than people your age and don’t feel like you can relate to them anymore.
When your brain isn’t regularly stimulated it becomes hard to process new information.
Brain atrophy
A chain reaction commences in the brain when somebody begins to physically or mentally isolate themselves. Parts of the brain are no longer being stimulated. They stop working.
There’s a high degree of interconnectivity between the various regions of the brain. Skills like problem solving, learning, speech, and memory are all related to hearing.
There will normally be a slow spread of this functional atrophy to other brain activity, like hearing, which is also linked to memory.
It’s analogous to how the legs become atrophied when somebody is bedridden for a long time. When they’re sick in bed for an extended time, leg muscles become really weak. They could stop working entirely. Learning to walk again may require physical therapy.
But the brain is different. Once it starts down this slippery slope, it’s difficult to reverse the damage. Shrinkage actually happens to the brain. Doctors can see this on brain scans.
How a hearing aid can prevent memory loss
You’re probably still in the beginning stages of hearing loss if you’re reading this. It may be barely noticeable. The good news is that it isn’t the hearing loss that leads to memory loss.
It’s the fact that the hearing loss is untreated.
Studies have shown that people that have hearing loss who regularly wear their hearing aid have the same chance of developing memory loss as someone of the same age with healthy hearing. Individuals who began wearing hearing aids after symptoms appeared were able to delay the progression considerably.
As you age, try to stay connected and active. Keep your memories, memory loss is linked to hearing loss. Be mindful of the health of your hearing. Schedule a hearing exam. And get in touch with us about a solution if you’re not wearing your hearing aid for some reason.