{"id":31043,"date":"2020-07-26T23:50:43","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T03:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losgatosaudiology.com\/?p=31043"},"modified":"2020-07-26T23:50:43","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T03:50:43","slug":"hearing-aids-could-mitigate-cognitive-decline-in-older-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losgatosaudiology.com\/hearing-aids-could-mitigate-cognitive-decline-in-older-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearing Aids Could Mitigate Cognitive Decline in Older People"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hearing loss isn\u2019t an isolated issue. It doesn\u2019t just make it harder for us to follow conversations, or hear in noisy settings like a family dinner party or a crowded restaurant. Hearing loss is linked to cognitive decline in older people. Living with untreated hearing loss can impact the brain in some surprising ways, and even jeopardize your overall health and well being.<\/p>\n
Everyone has moments of forgetfulness. We\u2019ve all wondered if we remembered to turn off the oven and lock the door. Some cognitive decline is a normal part of aging. Just as our bodies get a bit stiffer, or we have some pain in our joints, our brain also starts to feel the effects of age. Living with untreated hearing loss can lead to much more rapid cognitive decline, and it has been linked to increased risks of dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
Hearing loss may start in your ears, but it doesn\u2019t end there. When you live with untreated hearing loss, your ears don\u2019t hear all the sounds around you. The brain never receives a full picture of the sounds in your environment. The auditory centers in the brain aren\u2019t being used to their full potential, and soon some of the cells in these areas start to deteriorate. Some are even taken over by other systems. Untreated hearing loss can lead to more rapid cognitive decline as brain cells die or get repurposed.<\/p>\n
Living with untreated hearing loss puts a strain on the brain. As you struggle to hear what\u2019s being said, your brain goes into overdrive trying to help you hear clearly. This can make you feel exhausted at the end of the day, and you\u2019ll have a hard time focusing on anything in the evening. When you have hearing loss, it\u2019s not just your hearing abilities that change. You spend so much energy straining to hear that you don\u2019t have energy left over to actually understand what\u2019s being said, or have the brain power to focus on tasks and get things done.<\/p>\n