Feel like you might be forgetting something crucial? You’re not imagining it. Remembering everyday things is becoming more and more difficult. Once you become aware of it, memory loss seems to develop quickly. It becomes more debilitating the more you become aware of it. Did you know memory loss is connected to hearing loss?
If you think that this is simply a normal part of getting older, you would be wrong. Losing the ability to process memories always has an underlying reason.
Ignored hearing loss is often that reason. Is your ability to remember being impacted by hearing loss? By determining the cause of your memory loss, you can take steps to delay its development considerably and, in many instances, bring your memory back.
This is what you need to know.
How memory loss can be triggered by untreated hearing loss
They aren’t unrelated. As a matter of fact, researchers have found that people with untreated hearing loss are 24% more likely to experience dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other severe cognitive problems.
The reasons for this higher risk are multi-fold.
Mental exhaustion
Initially, the brain will need to work overtime to compensate for hearing loss. Listening to things requires extra effort. While this came naturally before, it’s now something your brain has to work to process.
It becomes necessary to activate deductive reasoning. You try to determine what people probably said by eliminating unlikely choices.
Your brain is under additional strain because of this. And when you’re unable to accurately use those deductive reasoning skills it can be especially stressful. This can result in embarrassment, misunderstandings, and even bitterness.
How we process memory can be significantly affected by stress. When we’re stressed, we’re spending brain resources that we should be using for memory.
And something new begins to occur as hearing loss advances.
Feeling older
You can start to “feel older” than you are when you’re constantly asking people to repeat what they said and straining to hear. If you’re constantly thinking that you’re getting old, it can become a self fulfilling prophecy.
Social solitude
We’ve all heard the trope of the person who’s so lonely that they start to lose touch with reality. Human beings are meant to be social. Even introverts struggle when they’re never around others.
Untreated hearing loss slowly isolates a person. Talking on the phone becomes a chore. Social gatherings are less enjoyable because you need to ask people to repeat themselves. You start to be excluded from conversations by family and friends. You may be off in space feeling isolated even when you’re with a room full of people. The radio might not even be there to keep you company over time.
Being on your own just seems simpler. You feel like you can’t relate to your friends anymore because you feel older than them even though you’re not.
This frequent lack of mental stimulation makes it harder for the brain to process new information.
Brain atrophy
A chain reaction commences in the brain when a person starts to physically or mentally isolate themselves. There’s no more stimulation going to parts of the brain. They quit functioning.
There’s a high level of interconnectivity between the different parts of the brain. Abilities like problem solving, learning, speech, and memory are all linked to hearing.
This loss of function in one area of the brain can gradually spread to other brain functions like hearing. Loss of memory is connected to this process.
It’s just like the legs of a bedridden person. When they’re sick in bed for a long time, leg muscles become very weak. They could stop working altogether. They might need to have physical therapy to learn to walk again.
But when it comes to the brain, this damage is a lot more challenging to rehabilitate. The brain actually starts to shrink. Brain Scans show this shrinkage.
How a hearing aid can prevent memory loss
You’re likely still in the early stages of hearing loss if you’re reading this. It may be hardly noticeable. It’s not the hearing loss itself that is contributing to memory loss, and that’s the good news.
It’s neglected hearing loss.
Studies have revealed that individuals with hearing loss who regularly wear their hearing aid have the same risk of developing memory loss as someone of the same age with healthy hearing. Individuals who started wearing hearing aids after symptoms appeared were able to slow the progression substantially.
Stay connected and active as you get older. If you want to keep your memory intact you need to recognize that it’s closely related to hearing loss. Don’t ignore your hearing health. Schedule a hearing exam. And if there’s any reason you aren’t using your hearing aid, please speak with us about treatment options – we can help!