Putting off on essential appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amidst the hustle and bustle of daily events. You might even find yourself hesitating to order hearing aids altogether. But hearing loss affects more than just your ears and delaying treatment can have detrimental effects on your whole life.
Untreated hearing loss can result in a greater risk of cognitive decline
Scientists have demonstrated a clear link between neglected hearing loss and mental decline. This is one reason why delaying treatment is never a good plan.
The impact on hearing
Obviously, it’s evident that putting off treatment for hearing loss isn’t conducive to maintaining 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 further damage.
You may find yourself constantly increasing the volume on your various devices, worsening the damage to your ears and accelerating the progression of hearing loss. Hearing aids can amplify specific frequencies of sound thereby slowing down the advancement of hearing loss.
The connection to mental function
Your brain and your hearing are intricately connected. Cognitive function can be seriously impacted by untreated hearing loss according to some significant research. Over time, cognitive decline can be worsened by depression and anxiety brought on by social separation.
Furthermore, long-term untreated hearing loss prompts the brain to adapt by reallocating resources from auditory processing to other functions, such as visual processing, potentially complicating the recovery of normal hearing function later on.
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 recovery, sustained untreated hearing loss can lead to considerable rewiring of the brain, making it challenging to return to previous functionality.
But it is possible to undo this effect. In both the short and the long term, using hearing aids can bring significant benefits even if you’ve held off on getting treatment for some time.
Set up an appointment with a hearing specialist
While timely treatment is ideal, it’s never too late to address hearing loss. Making an appointment with us as soon as possible is crucial, ensuring you can enjoy better hearing and cognitive function going forward. Call today!