Putting off on important appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amidst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day events. You may even find yourself hesitating to order hearing aids altogether. However, delaying treatment for hearing loss is a lot more than just a mistake concerning your ears alone.
The connection to cognitive decline
A clear link between cognitive decline and neglected hearing loss has been demonstrated by scientists and researchers. This is one reason why delaying treatment is never a good plan.
Hearing loss will worsen if it’s neglected
If you care about the health of your hearing, it’s essential to never neglect any symptoms of hearing loss. You unintentionally cause more harm to your hearing if you delay getting a hearing examination or hearing aids if you need them.
You might find yourself constantly boosting the volume on your various devices, exacerbating the damage to your ears and speeding up the development of hearing loss. Hearing aids can increase particular frequencies of sound thereby slowing down the progression of hearing loss.
The connection to cognitive function
Your brain and your hearing are closely connected. Research shows that neglected hearing loss can have considerable repercussions on mental function. Social isolation, often a consequence of diminished hearing, can lead to mental health problems like depression and anxiety, which in turn can exacerbate mental decline over time.
Also, the restoration of healthy hearing function can be complicated because untreated 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 situation. 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’s not impossible to reverse these effects. Despite previous delays in seeking treatment, utilizing hearing aids as prescribed by a specialist can still deliver substantial benefits in both the short and long term.
Schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist
You should obviously find treatment as soon as possible, but even if you’ve delayed for a while, it’s not too late to seek help. If you’re ready to enjoy better hearing and stronger cognitive function, call us today for an assessment!