Putting off on essential appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amidst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day events. You may not even get around to shopping for hearing aids whatsoever. However, delaying treatment for hearing loss is far more than just a mistake concerning your ears alone.
The connection to mental decline
A clear link between cognitive decline and neglected hearing loss has been established by scientists and researchers. This is one reason why delaying treatment is never a good plan.
Hearing loss will worsen if it’s neglected
If you care about the health of your hearing, it’s important to never disregard any symptoms of hearing loss. By avoiding appointments with a hearing specialist or holding off on the purchase of hearing aids, you inadvertently subject your ears to additional damage.
You might find yourself constantly 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 particular frequencies of sound thereby slowing down the progression of hearing loss.
The connection to cognitive function
Your brain and your hearing are closely connected. Research shows that neglected hearing loss can have considerable repercussions on mental function. Over time, mental decline can be exacerbated 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 scenario, neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt, can be both a friend and a foe. While it allows for flexibility and restoration, prolonged untreated hearing loss can result in significant rewiring of the brain, making it challenging to return to previous functionality.
However, it’s not impossible to reverse these effects. In both the short and the long term, utilizing hearing aids can bring significant benefits even if you’ve put off on getting treatment for some time.
Call us for an appointment
You should obviously seek treatment as soon as possible, but even if you’ve delayed for a while, it’s not too late to seek help. If you’re ready to enjoy improved hearing and stronger cognitive function, call us today for an assessment!