Feel like you may be forgetting something important? You aren’t imagining it. Remembering day-to-day things is getting harder and harder. Loss of memory seems to develop fairly quickly once it’s detected. The more aware you are of it, the more incapacitating it becomes. The majority of people aren’t aware that there’s a connection between loss of memory and hearing loss.
And no, this isn’t just a natural occurrence of aging. Losing the ability to process memories always has an underlying reason.
For many that cause is neglected hearing loss. Is your hearing impacting your ability to remember? You can slow down the onset of memory loss substantially and possibly even get some back if you know what’s causing it.
Here are some facts to think about.
How memory loss can be triggered by untreated hearing loss
There is a relationship. Cognitive issues, like Alzheimer’s and memory loss, were 24% more likely in individuals who have hearing loss.
There are complicated interrelated reasons for this.
Mental exhaustion
Initially, the brain will have to work harder to overcome hearing loss. Listening to things requires additional effort. While this came naturally before, it’s now something your brain has to work to process.
You start to use your deductive reasoning skills. When trying to listen, you eliminate the unlikely choices to determine what someone probably said.
This puts lots of added stress on the brain. It’s particularly stressful when your deductive reasoning skills lead you astray. This can result in embarrassment, misunderstandings, and even bitterness.
Stress has a significant impact on how we process memory. When we’re stressed out, we’re tying up brain resources that we should be using for memory.
And something new starts to happen as hearing loss worsens.
Feeling older
You can start to “feel older” than you are when you’re constantly asking people to repeat what they said and straining to hear. If you’re constantly thinking that you’re getting old, it can become a self fulfilling prophecy.
Social withdrawal
We’re all familiar with that story of a person whose loneliness causes them to lose their grip on the world around them. Human beings are meant to be social. When they’re never with other people, even introverts struggle.
A person with disregarded hearing loss gradually becomes secluded. It’s more difficult to talk on the phone. You need to have people repeat themselves at social gatherings making them much less enjoyable. Family and friends start to exclude you from conversations. Even when you’re in a room with lots of people, you might space out and feel alone. Eventually, you may not even have the radio to keep you company.
Being alone just seems simpler. You feel like you can’t relate to your friends now because you feel older than them even though you’re not.
This frequent lack of mental stimulation makes it harder for the brain to process new information.
Brain atrophy
A chain reaction commences in the brain when someone starts to physically or mentally isolate themselves. There’s no more stimulation reaching regions of the brain. When this occurs, those parts of the brain atrophy and quit functioning.
Our brain functions are extremely coordinated. Hearing is linked to speech, memory, learning, problem-solving, and other abilities.
There will usually be a gradual spread of this functional atrophy to other brain functions, like hearing, which is also linked to memory.
It’s just like the legs of a bedridden person. Muscles become weak when they’re sick in bed over a period of time. They may quit working entirely. Learning to walk again might call for physical therapy.
But when it comes to the brain, this damage is a great deal more challenging to rehabilitate. Shrinkage actually happens to the brain. Doctors can see this on brain scans.
How memory loss can be stopped by hearing aids
You’re most likely still in the beginning stages of hearing loss if you’re reading this. You might not even barely be aware of it. It isn’t the hearing loss itself that is leading to memory loss, and that’s the good news.
It’s neglected hearing loss.
In this research, individuals who were wearing their hearing aids on a regular basis were no more likely to have memory loss than somebody around the same age who doesn’t have hearing loss. The progression of memory loss was slowed in people who started using their hearing aids after noticing symptoms.
As you age, try to remain connected and active. If you want to keep your memory intact you need to understand that it’s closely related to hearing loss. Pay attention to the health of your hearing. Get your hearing examined. And if there’s any reason you’re not using your hearing aid, please talk to us about treatment options – we can help!
