Putting off on important appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amongst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day events. You may not even get around to shopping for hearing aids at all. But hearing loss affects more than just your ears and delaying treatment can have negative effects on your whole life.
Untreated hearing loss can result in a higher risk of cognitive decline
A clear link between cognitive decline and neglected hearing loss has been demonstrated by scientists and researchers. This underscores the crucial importance of not delaying treatment, as it can have negative effects on your mental function too.
Hearing loss will worsen if it goes untreated
Naturally, it’s evident that delaying treatment for hearing loss isn’t conducive to maintaining your auditory health. You inadvertently cause more harm to your hearing if you delay getting a hearing exam or hearing aids if you need them.
The development of your hearing loss will be accelerated if you continuously need to crank up the volume on your devices. Hearing aids can increase specific frequencies of sound thereby delaying the development of hearing loss.
The link between untreated hearing loss and mental function
There’s a direct connection between your sense of hearing and your brain. Mental function can be seriously impacted by untreated hearing loss according to some substantial research. Over time, mental decline can be exacerbated by depression and anxiety brought on by social isolation.
Also, the restoration of normal 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
The brain’s remarkable ability to adapt, known as neuroplasticity, is both a friend and a foe in this situation. The brain will have a hard time reverting back to its previous state after it rewires itself to accommodate for sustained neglected hearing loss.
But it is possible to reverse this effect. Despite previous delays in getting treatment, using hearing aids as prescribed by a specialist can still provide significant benefits in both the short and long term.
Call us for an appointment
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 seek help. If you’re ready to enjoy better hearing and stronger mental function, call us today for an assessment!