As we get closer to World Hearing Day, we want to educate the community on this study!
Research scientists and doctors at the Johns Hopkins Medical University and the National Institutes of Health have found a link between hearing loss and dementia. As yet, the actual link or “trigger” between the two conditions is still unknown. However, they believe those with hearing loss may be more susceptible to Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Diabetes for 3 reasons:
*When you can’t hear your brain has to work harder which in return takes away resources your brain could use in other areas
*Long term hearing loss adapts social isolation leading to depression which has been proven to mental decline faster
*The more hearing loss you have the fewer signals your nerves have to send to the brain which can cause atrophy
Men are most at risk for hearing loss because they traditionally work in noisy environments and are exposed to loud noises, explosions, jet engines, and gunfire. Events that happened at a young age could result in hearing loss by middle age and then get progressively worse as you grow older. Research also shows that women with diabetes are also at risk of experiencing consequences of hearing loss that could lead to cognitive decline.
Even though the cause of the relationship between hearing loss and dementia is unknown, researchers say it is important for individuals at risk to retain their ability to hear clearly.
One point of common ground doctors and scientists seem to agree on is that it is a good practice to use all available interventions to retain your hearing.