Could Hearing Loss Affect Your Longevity?

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Everybody loves the concept of a miracle cure that helps increase your lifespan. That’s why you can find a great number of these miracle cures all over the internet ensuring longevity if you carry out this one trick. Pretty much all of these so-called cures have no medical foundation and are not backed by the healthcare community.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that nothing you do can positively impact your lifespan. For instance, eating a healthy diet (especially one low in sodium and saturated fats) or quitting smoking can dramatically impact your expected lifespan.

The same is true of managing hearing loss by wearing hearing aids. That’s in line with recent research published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, a multidisciplinary journal devoted to healthy aging. So, can hearing aids help you have a longer life? According to this study, it’s a distinct possibility.

Does hearing loss pose a risk to your health?

Researchers have been aware of the connection between general wellness and hearing health for quite a while. For example, it has been well demonstrated that untreated hearing loss can substantially increase your risk of dementia later in life.

These risks, however, are generally unknown by most people. They think that hearing loss will only affect one aspect of their lives and is a mere inconvenience. But when neglected, hearing loss can pose bigger health concerns than a simple inconvenience.

The connection between longevity and hearing loss

Usually, wearing hearing aids as often as possible will be the primary way to treat hearing loss. So does this mean that you can reduce your risk of early death by using hearing aids? There is a definite possibility, according to this latest study, that hearing aids can decrease your risk of early death. There is a 24% decrease in mortality risk for people with hearing loss who regularly use hearing aids, as revealed by this study. In other words, the people observed in the study who wore hearing aids had a tendency to live longer.

Hearing aid benefits

The research published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity is not necessarily definitive proof that hearing aids will help you have a longer life (though the study does strongly indicate a relationship). However, it’s another piece of information to add onto what we already understand about the advantages of hearing aids.

  • Hearing aids can help you enjoy day-to-day moments with friends and family, from going out to eat with colleagues to asking your grandchildren about their school day.
  • You can prevent accidents and injuries by being more aware of your surroundings.
  • Cognition can be enhanced by wearing hearing aids. This means that you (and your brain) will probably be less tired and healthier over time.
  • It will be easier to function in social engagements. This will help your general well-being by decreasing your feelings of social separation.

These are improvements to your quality of life that you’ll experience every time you use your hearing aids. For these reasons alone, hearing aids are a significant part of managing your hearing loss.

Your overall health and well-being rely heavily on healthy hearing

Scientists have recognized that the health of your hearing plays a major role in your overall wellness. If you have hearing loss, getting diagnosed and wearing hearing aids can substantially reduce your early mortality risks.

Seeing a hearing specialist can help you identify whether you have hearing loss and the best way to treat it.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.