Untreated Hearing Loss Can Cause Mayhem With Your Health

Hearing loss, like any kind of major change to your body, can have a significant effect on your health. It may not seem as if the diminishing of one sense could cause a chain reaction that can affect your entire body, but it is true. Having a major disruption to the workings of your body can affect the entire machine.

If you are experiencing hearing loss, contact an audiologist in order to find out what your options are for hearing more clearly so that you can get back to optimal hearing health. If you are unsure if your hearing loss is affecting your general health, here are a few things to look out for when hearing loss changes your body.

Mental Health

To start, hearing loss can affect your mental health. Some audiologist have found that hearing loss can cause a rise in generalized anxiety. When a person experiencing hearing loss is out in the world, all aspects of their lives can be affected. Many people feel the rise in anxiety because hearing loss brings about a whole new group of fears.

Many people fear embarrassment in public situations if they are unable to hear, they won’t enjoy themselves because they won’t be able to hear a movie or TV show and they also fear they won’t be able to get ahead at work because their hearing loss will be seen as a disability. The rising fears that come with hearing loss can take a toll on your mental health, which can affect your physical health.

Physical Health

Your brain can be directly affected by the experience of hearing loss. Some studies show that your brain can atrophy when you cannot hear that well, and your inability to hear clearly can cause social isolation that takes stimulus away from the brain. When your brain is not stimulated, it will begin to deteriorate and slow down.

Hearing also helps with balance. Certain sounds are indicators of what is going on around us, and those sounds help us keep our balance as we are moving around throughout the day. If your balance is off as a result of not being able to hear that well, you are more prone to falling, which can cause serious injury to your body.

Fear of Aging

A lot of people who are experiencing hearing loss will not admit to their condition because they feel it means they are aging and they are old. In order to stay more youthful, they will simply go about their lives without hearing aids. When you can’t hear, you can put yourself at serious risk of injury or injuring other people.

If you cannot hear well it makes it very dangerous to drive a car. If you can’t hear what the other cars are doing around you then you increase your risk of hitting another car or even running into a pedestrian. Put your pride to the side, and if you are experiencing hearing loss, see an audiologist today for ways to improve your hearing.

Dementia

As stated earlier, when you withdraw from social situations because of your hearing loss, you also withdraw from important stimuli that keep the brain active and functioning. When the brain ceases to be stimulated and active, researchers believe you increase your risk of developing dementia.

When dementia sets into the brain there is no medical way to reverse the condition. Being social and being around other people is important for our mental and physical health. Going for walks, talking to family and friends and doing activities that keep your mind and body engaged are all necessary for optimal health. If you cannot hear that well, see an audiologist for possible treatments.

While science is still researching and figuring out the direct correlation between hearing loss and health, what we do know is enough to get you to take your hearing loss seriously. We need all five of our senses to be balanced, and when one of our senses is not doing well, there are treatments available to help you maintain your balance.

Hearing loss is nothing to be ashamed of and comes with genetics and age and extenuating circumstances that may be out of your control. The sooner you can see an audiologist the sooner you can be on your way to hearing better and living a healthier life.

Contact Davis Audiology today at (864) 810-6238 to set up a consultation with an audiologist to find out your options and how you can hear more clearly.