Do you think that you might be experiencing hearing loss? If so, it might be a good idea to seek treatment for it as soon as possible. Hearing loss can have some pretty wide-reaching impacts on your life if it goes undiagnosed and some of them might be starting to happen even if you’re not aware of it. Here are some of the reasons Why Hearing Loss Should Never Go Untreated.
A feeling of disconnection
When you are experiencing hearing loss, you are slowly losing your ability to connect to the world around you through one of your senses. As a result, this can lead to a sense of alienation and disconnection from the world around you, not to mention affecting how you communicate with and comprehend each other.
Some of the simple daily noises you might be used to, such as the beep of the microwave or the ring of the doorbell, can go unheard, getting in the way of your daily life.
Untreated hearing loss can even prove to be dangerous, such as when you’re walking outside, you might not hear a car coming around a corner as you’re crossing a road.
Hearing loss and its link to emotional health problems
There are well-documented links between hearing loss and a range of emotional health problems, many of which can be exacerbated if the hearing loss is untreated.
People with undiagnosed hearing loss are more likely to experience stress, depression, irritability, anger, fatigue and the like. Largely, this can happen because of the amount of effort that the individual has to expend in order to be able to understand and communicate with others, which can be legitimately exhausting.
Hearing loss and your cognitive health
Your emotional health isn’t the only thing that can be affected by an undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss: there is evidence that it can result in or accelerate cognitive decline, as well.
In particular, there is research to show links between memory and hearing loss, with a higher risk of dementia occurring in those who have untreated hearing loss.
The exact mechanisms are not fully understood as of yet, but this higher risk is contributed by some to the degeneration of certain parts of the brain that aren’t getting used as much, as the parts that help you communicate and process sounds.
Feeling isolated from society
When you begin to experience hearing loss, often it can impact your ability to communicate first and foremost, affecting your ability to hear certain sounds in speech, to hear certain individuals clearly, and to hear clearly against background noise (such as an office or busy restaurant.)
This, paired with the exhaustion that can come with communicating as mentioned above can make it very tempting for a person with undiagnosed hearing loss to simply start avoiding social situations. This, in turn, can lead to isolation, which is very bad for the health and can exacerbate the cognitive health issues mentioned above.
Hopefully, the information above makes it clear that untreated hearing loss is more than just a hassle. It can lead to some serious health repercussions. If you are experiencing any of the signs of hearing loss or suspect you might have it, you should get in touch with a hearing health professional as soon as you can.
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