Putting off on important appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amidst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day events. You may even find yourself hesitating to order hearing aids altogether. However, delaying treatment for hearing loss is a lot more than just a mistake concerning your ears alone.
Neglected hearing loss can result in a greater risk of mental decline
Scientists have proven a clear connection between neglected hearing loss and mental decline. This underscores the critical importance of not holding off on treatment, as it can have adverse effects on your brain function as well.
The impact on hearing
Obviously, it’s evident that delaying treatment for hearing loss isn’t conducive to preserving your auditory health. By avoiding appointments with a hearing specialist or holding off on the purchase of hearing aids, you unintentionally subject your ears to additional damage.
The progression of your hearing loss will be accelerated if you constantly need to crank up the volume on your devices. Hearing aids can boost specific frequencies of sound thereby slowing down the progression of hearing loss.
The connection to mental function
There’s a close connection between your sense of hearing and your brain. Mental function can be seriously impacted by neglected hearing loss according to some significant research. Social solitude, often a consequence of diminished hearing, can lead to mental health problems including depression and anxiety, which in turn can exacerbate mental decline over time.
Also, the restoration of normal hearing function can be complicated because untreated hearing loss will force the brain to adapt 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 sustained neglected hearing loss.
However, it isn’t impossible to undo these effects. In both the short and the long term, using hearing aids can bring considerable benefits even if you’ve held off on getting treatment for some time.
Set up an appointment with a hearing specialist
You should obviously find treatment as soon as you can, but even if you’ve delayed for a while, it’s not too late to get help. If you’re ready to enjoy improved hearing and stronger cognitive function, call us today for an assessment!