Putting off on important appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amongst the hustle and bustle of daily events. You might not even get around to shopping for hearing aids at all. However, putting off on treatment for hearing loss is far more than just a mistake concerning your ears alone.
The connection to cognitive decline
A clear connection between cognitive decline and untreated hearing loss has been demonstrated by scientists and researchers. This underscores the critical importance of not holding off on treatment, as it can have adverse effects on your mental function too.
Hearing loss will get worse if it goes untreated
If you care about the health of your hearing, it’s essential to never disregard any symptoms of hearing loss. You inadvertently cause more harm to your hearing if you delay getting a hearing examination or hearing aids if you need them.
You might find yourself continually boosting the volume on your various devices, worsening the damage to your ears and speeding up the progression of hearing loss. Hearing aids can increase specific frequencies of sound thereby slowing down the progression of hearing loss.
The connection to cognitive function
Your brain and your hearing are intricately connected. Cognitive function can be seriously impacted by untreated hearing loss according to some significant research. Over time, cognitive decline can be worsened by depression and anxiety brought on 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
In this situation, neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt, can be both a friend and a foe. The brain will have a hard time reverting back to its previous state after it rewires itself to accommodate for prolonged neglected hearing loss.
But it is possible to reverse this effect. In spite of previous delays in seeking treatment, using 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 put off for a while, it’s not too late to get help. If you’re ready to enjoy better hearing and stronger mental function, call us today for an assessment!