Putting off on essential appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amidst the hustle and bustle of daily events. You might not even get around to shopping for hearing aids whatsoever. But hearing loss impacts more than just your ears and delaying treatment can have detrimental effects on your whole life.
The connection to cognitive decline
Scientists have established a clear connection between neglected hearing loss and cognitive decline. This underscores the critical importance of not delaying treatment, as it can have negative effects on your brain function too.
Hearing loss will get worse if it’s neglected
Naturally, it’s evident that putting off treatment for hearing loss isn’t conducive to preserving your auditory health. You inadvertently cause more damage to your hearing if you delay getting a hearing exam or hearing aids if you need them.
You may find yourself constantly increasing the volume on your various devices, worsening the damage to your ears and speeding up the progression of hearing loss. Using a hearing aid can help mitigate this by selectively amplifying specific frequencies, thereby slowing down the development of hearing loss.
The connection to mental function
There’s a direct link between your sense of hearing and your brain. Cognitive function can be seriously impacted by neglected hearing loss according to some significant research. Over time, mental decline can be worsened by depression and anxiety caused by social separation.
Moreover, prolonged neglected hearing loss prompts the brain to adapt by reallocating resources from processing sound to other functions, such as visual processing, potentially complicating the recovery of normal hearing function down the road.
Navigating neuroplasticity
In this scenario, neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt, can be both a friend and a foe. The brain will have a difficult time reverting back to its previous state after it rewires itself to accommodate for prolonged untreated hearing loss.
But it is possible to undo this effect. In spite of previous delays in seeking treatment, using hearing aids as prescribed by a specialist can still deliver 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 put off for a while, it’s not too late to seek help. Making an appointment with us as soon as possible is important, ensuring you can enjoy improved hearing and mental function going forward. Call today!