What Are the Consequences of Untreated Hearing Loss?
Our sense of hearing is intricately tied to our overall well-being. When left untreated, hearing loss can affect communication, balance, relationships, memory, and so much more. It’s important to understand why hearing loss should not go untreated and what you can do to live a healthier lifestyle.
Untreated Hearing Loss
Hearing loss makes sounds muffled, affecting the ability to hear clearly and understand what is being said. People with hearing loss may especially have trouble hearing when there is background noise present or more than one speaker. A common sign of hearing loss is being able to hear but lacking clarity.
Lower signal quality due to hearing loss leads to a higher cognitive load. The harder the brain has to work in order to hear results in less resources to other cognitive functions, such as memory. This can lead to listening fatigue and forgetfulness.
Over time, this can lead to changes in behavior, such as social disengagement and isolation. Those with untreated hearing loss may feel embarrassed of missing parts of the conversation or having to ask for information repeated frequently. This may cause them to withdraw socially and begin to isolate from others.
Untreated hearing loss has been proven to increase the severity of health problems, such as depression and dementia and even contributes to accelerated cognitive decline.
What You Can Do
There is good news, hearing aids can help. If you have noticed signs of hearing loss, the first step is to have your hearing tested. A comprehensive hearing test will identify the type and degree of hearing loss present, allowing our team to help you find the right management plan.
Hearing aids can improve hearing, clarity, communication, and brain health. Don’t let hearing loss go untreated and begin to affect your overall well-being. Contact House of Hearing today to schedule a consultation!