Putting off on important appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amidst the hustle and bustle of daily events. You might even find yourself hesitating to get hearing aids altogether. However, delaying treatment for hearing loss is far more than just a misstep concerning your ears alone.
The connection to cognitive decline
Scientists have demonstrated a clear link between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline. This underscores the crucial importance of not delaying treatment, as it can have adverse effects on your mental function also.
Hearing loss will get worse if it goes untreated
If you care about your hearing health, it’s essential to never neglect any symptoms of hearing loss. You unintentionally cause more damage to your hearing if you delay getting a hearing test or hearing aids if you need them.
The progression of your hearing loss will be quickened if you continuously need to crank up the volume on your devices. Hearing aids can boost specific frequencies of sound thereby delaying the progression of hearing loss.
The connection between untreated hearing loss and mental function
There’s a close link between your sense of hearing and your brain. Research shows that neglected hearing loss can have significant consequences on mental function. Over time, mental decline can be exacerbated by depression and anxiety caused by social separation.
Also, the restoration of healthy hearing function can be complicated because neglected hearing loss will force the brain to adjust by reallocating mental resources from other functions, such as visual processes, over to auditory processes.
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 sustained neglected hearing loss.
But it is possible to undo this effect. In spite of previous delays in getting treatment, utilizing hearing aids as prescribed by a specialist can still yield substantial benefits in both the short and long term.
Make an appointment with a hearing specialist
You should obviously seek treatment as soon as possible, but even if you’ve delayed for a while, it’s not too late to get help. If you’re ready to enjoy improved hearing and stronger cognitive function, call us today for an assessment!
