Hearing Health Helps Brain Health

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Did you know your hearing health affects your brain health? Yet most people who suspect they have hearing loss wait years to get a hearing screening.

Often their reason is something like, “No one else seems bothered by it. Why should I deal with it right now?” As you’ll see below, the sooner you treat that hearing loss, the better.

Hearing: A Delicate Balance

Your ears and brain work together to make sense of the sounds you hear. But with hearing loss, your ears give your brain bad input.

Thus, your brain has to work harder to process sounds and help you understand them. This leaves less brainpower for other important functions, like thinking or memory.

The less sound your brain is exposed to, the more it “forgets” how to process those sounds. Eventually, you run the risk of cognitive decline or even dementia.

Hearing Aids at Home

That’s why regular hearing checkups are a good idea. Catching hearing loss early helps you keep your brain in top shape. But keeping your brain engaged isn’t just about hearing aids.

In the current health climate, a lot of people spend most of their time at home. They also leave their hearing aids turned off and put away. Here are four key reasons to leave them in and turned on, even when home alone.

  • Brain training. You adjust more quickly to your hearing aids. Your brain learns to account for ambient sounds you might not have heard for years, such as your refrigerator, your furnace and passing cars outside. That’s important exercise for your brain.

  • Brain support. Hearing aids give your brain a break, even when you’re alone, because the sounds you do hear are clear and crisp.

  • Balance help. Your ears and brain work together to accomplish spatial awareness and balance as well. Even when you’re alone, hearing aids are crucial for this team effort.

  • Sensory sweet spot. Hearing is one of the five senses. You still want to see, taste, smell and touch when you’re alone, so why not hear as well?

Hearing Health

As you can see, hearing is a complicated matter. And hearing care isn’t a transaction; it’s a process that starts with a simple hearing exam and continues through the appropriate use of prescribed technology. You get your teeth and eyes regularly checked — it just makes sense to do the same with your hearing. Your brain will thank you!

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