Putting off on essential appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amidst the hustle and bustle of daily events. You might even find yourself hesitating to order hearing aids altogether. But hearing loss affects more than just your ears and holding off on treatment can have detrimental effects on your entire life.
Untreated hearing loss can result in a greater risk of mental decline
A clear connection between mental decline and neglected hearing loss has been established by scientists and researchers. This is one reason why delaying treatment is never a good plan.
Hearing loss will get worse if it goes untreated
Naturally, it’s evident that delaying treatment for hearing loss isn’t helpful for maintaining your auditory health. By avoiding appointments with a hearing specialist or delaying the purchase of hearing aids, you inadvertently subject your ears to further damage.
You may find yourself continually boosting the volume on your various devices, exacerbating the damage to your ears and speeding up the progression of hearing loss. Using a hearing aid can help mitigate this by selectively amplifying specific frequencies, thereby slowing down the development of hearing loss.
The link between neglected hearing loss and cognitive function
There’s a direct connection between your sense of hearing and your brain. Research indicates that untreated hearing loss can have substantial consequences on cognitive function. Over time, cognitive decline can be worsened by depression and anxiety brought on by social separation.
Also, the restoration of normal hearing function can be complicated because untreated hearing loss will force the brain to adjust by reallocating mental resources from other functions, such as visual processes, over to auditory processes.
Navigating neuroplasticity
The brain’s remarkable ability to adapt, known as neuroplasticity, is both a friend and a foe in this situation. While it allows for flexibility and restoration, extended untreated hearing loss can lead to significant rewiring of the brain, making it difficult to revert to previous functionality.
However, it isn’t impossible to undo these effects. In both the short and the long term, making use of hearing aids can bring considerable benefits even if you’ve held off on getting treatment for some time.
Make an appointment with a hearing specialist
You should obviously seek treatment as soon as possible, but even if you’ve put off for a while, it’s not too late to seek help. Scheduling an appointment with us as soon as you can is important, ensuring you can enjoy better hearing and cognitive function going forward. Call today!
