At Associated Hearing, we recommend that once a person reaches the age of 50, they should get their hearing tested. While an annual test is ideal, you’re still at an age where you can get tested at a minimum of every five years.
However, once you’ve reached the age of 65, getting your hearing tested annually is a must.
Why? Because certain senses — particularly hearing and vision — naturally begin to degrade as we age.
And when we ignore the breakdown of our hearing health, our overall health and quality of life begins to suffer. This is why it’s vital to identify the signs of hearing loss early, get an accurate diagnosis, and treat it accordingly.
Here are three big benefits of detecting and treating hearing loss early.
Treating hearing loss earlier is easier
As is the case with many medical conditions, the longer we wait to treat our hearing loss, the harder it is to treat effectively.
And unfortunately, only about 1 in 5 people tend to seek treatment for their hearing loss, often waiting as long as 10 years before seeing a hearing care professional.
Not only does the delay in treatment negatively affect quality of life and possibly open the door to the effects of cognitive decline, but it also means that a once treatable mild hearing loss might become a moderate or severe hearing loss.
Early intervention is key in preserving your current hearing health while working to protect it from further decline.
If you’re age 50 or above, you should be getting your hearing tested as recommended above, but if you’re still skeptical, consider this for yourself or a loved one:
- Do you have difficulty hearing in loud environments?
- Is it hard to understand speech in noise?
- Do you frequently ask people to repeat themselves?
- Do others tell you that your television is uncomfortably loud?
- Are you missing sounds you used to hear?
If any of the above sound familiar, it could be the sign of hearing loss. Seeing an audiology professional so you can be thoroughly tested and appropriately treated will help you to rediscover the sounds you might not have even realized you were missing! It will also help you stay active and social with loved ones.
Treating hearing loss early keeps you engaged
One of the primary effects of untreated hearing loss is social isolation. Hearing speech noise is particularly difficult for people experiencing hearing loss. When they find themselves in noisy environments — like the many loud restaurants or boisterous family gatherings our community is known for — it can be difficult to follow conversations.
Not being able to engage in conversation can lead to feelings of embarrassment. The harder it is to hear, the harder the brain has to work in order to interpret sounds. This can drain your energy and make you feel tired.
Commonly, people with untreated hearing loss start to remove themselves from social situations. Separating themselves from the activities and people that they love naturally leads to feelings of depression.
However, detecting hearing loss and treating with appropriately fit, personalized hearing aids helps to keep people engaged with their world, even in noisy environments. Studies even show that regularly wearing hearing aids is associated with “reduced depressive symptoms and enhanced quality of life.”
Treating hearing loss helps to prevent cognitive decline
The Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) found that hearing loss is one of the biggest contributors to cognitive decline and dementia in aging populations.
While factors like smoking, high blood pressure, and a lack of access to education are also contributing factors to dementia as we age, hearing loss may have the biggest impact, with one ACHIEVE study finding that those with hearing loss have a “2x, 3x, and 5x greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia over time compared to people without hearing loss.”
As mentioned previously, hearing loss forces the brain to work harder. Experts believe that this places stress on the brain, causing it to age faster than those without hearing loss.
Additionally, as hearing loss places people in social isolation, the lack of communication with others also causes certain parts of the brain to atrophy, contributing to cognitive decline.
However, detecting and treating hearing loss early can significantly delay the onset of dementia and cognitive decline by alleviating the extra work the brain would otherwise be responsible for, while also helping people to stay socially active.
Your hearing deserves hope. You deserve Associated Hearing.
We’re a locally owned and operated hearing care practice dedicated to helping you hear your very best. Contact us to hear the difference!