Are you forgetting something? You aren’t imagining it. Remembering everyday things is becoming more and more difficult. Loss of memory seems to progress rather quickly once it’s noticed. The more you are aware of it, the more debilitating it becomes. Did you know memory loss is connected to hearing loss?
If you believe that this is just a natural part of the aging process, you would be wrong. Losing the ability to process memories always has a root cause.
For many that cause is neglected hearing loss. Is your memory being impacted by hearing loss? You can slow the development of memory loss significantly and possibly even get some back if you are aware of what’s causing it.
Here are a few facts to think about.
How memory loss can be triggered by untreated hearing loss
There is a connection. In fact, scientists have found that those who have untreated hearing loss are 24% more likely to experience dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other severe cognitive problems.
The reasons for this increased risk are multi-fold.
Mental exhaustion
Initially, the brain will have to work harder to compensate for hearing loss. You have to strain to listen to something. Now, your brain needs to work hard where before it just occurred naturally.
It becomes necessary to utilize deductive reasoning. When trying to listen, you eliminate the unlikely choices to determine what someone probably said.
Your brain is under extra strain because of this. It’s especially stressful when your deductive reasoning skills let you down. This can cause embarrassment, misunderstandings, and even bitterness.
How we process memory can be seriously affected by stress. Mental resources that we should be utilizing for memory get tied up when we’re experiencing stress.
As the hearing loss progresses, something new occurs.
Feeling older
This strain of having to work harder to hear and needing people to repeat what they said makes a person “feel older” than they actually are. This can start a downhill spiral in which thoughts of “getting old” when you’re actually not become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Social solitude
We’ve all heard the trope of the person who’s so lonely that they begin to lose touch with reality. We humans are social creatures. When they’re never with others, even introverts have a hard time.
A person with untreated hearing loss gradually becomes isolated. Talking on the phone becomes a chore. You need to have people repeat themselves at social events making them much less enjoyable. You start to be excluded from conversations by friends and family. Even when you’re in a setting with lots of people, you may space out and feel alone. The radio may not even be there to keep you company over time.
It’s just easier to spend more time alone. You feel like you can’t relate to your friends anymore because you feel older than them even though you’re not.
When your brain isn’t regularly stimulated it becomes difficult to process new information.
Brain atrophy
A chain reaction commences in the brain when someone starts to physically or mentally isolate themselves. There’s no more stimulation going to regions of the brain. They quit functioning.
There’s a high degree of interconnectivity between the different regions of the brain. Hearing is connected with speech, memory, learning, problem-solving, and other skills.
This loss of function in one area of the brain can slowly move to other brain functions including hearing. Memory loss is connected to this process.
It’s analogous to how the legs become atrophied when somebody is bedridden for a long time. When they are sick in bed for an extended time, leg muscles become very weak. They could possibly just stop working completely. They may have to have physical therapy to learn to walk again.
But with the brain, this damage is a great deal more difficult to rehabilitate. The brain actually starts to shrink. Doctors can see this on brain scans.
How a hearing aid can stop memory loss
You’re probably still in the beginning stages of hearing loss if you’re reading this. It may be hardly noticeable. The good news is that it isn’t the hearing loss that contributes to memory loss.
It’s the fact that the hearing loss is neglected.
In these studies, individuals who were using their hearing aids on a regular basis were no more likely to have memory loss than a person of a similar age who doesn’t have hearing loss. The progression of memory loss was slowed in people who began using their hearing aids after experiencing symptoms.
Stay connected and active as you age. If you want to keep your memory intact you should understand that it’s closely linked to hearing loss. Be mindful of the health of your hearing. Schedule a hearing exam. And consult us about a solution if you’re not wearing your hearing aid for some reason.