By Brittany Colburn, Au.D. Doctor of Audiology/Ear Nerd
June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month.
Hearing loss is often gradual and, therefore, something that you adapt to. You may not notice it for months or even years. But slowly, the hearing apparatus that nature provided does wear out for many as we grow older and it’s simply part of the aging process. There’s a growing collection of detailed studies that demonstrate, clinically, that people with hearing loss do better addressing the limitation when they act quickly. In other words, the first time the family tells you to turn down the TV, it’s time for a hearing test. Why? When the hearing nerves and the areas of the brain responsible for hearing are deprived of sound, they atrophy – weaken – making recovery from hearing loss through mechanical means, aka a hearing aid, that much more difficult. The fancy term used by hearing professionals is auditory deprivation. The key to hearing better longer is to keep the ear bits active and NOT let them atrophy. Through the use of hearing aids – early, when you first notice hearing loss – you’ll enjoy a better quality of hearing longer.
For most people, turning up the tv or asking others to repeat themselves is enough to alert them that they should come in for a hearing evaluation and obtain a baseline hearing test.
For others, they feel like their hearing loss is everyone else’s problem. We hear it all the time: “My wife will speak up, my kids know to email or text me now instead of call, if someone really wants to talk to me, they’ll get my attention.”
The truth is, however, that hearing loss is all about you.
It’s about your brain. You were born with two ears, and you need them to work well in order to keep your brain healthy.
In a recent study, Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline (Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D. et al. 2013 JAMA Internal Medicine), Dr. Lin explained his findings:
• Over a 6-year period, individuals with hearing loss had cognitive abilities that declined 30-40% faster than those with normal hearing.
• Levels of declining brain function were directly related to the amount of hearing loss.
• On average, older adults with hearing loss developed significant impairments in their cognitive abilities 3.2 years sooner than those with normal hearing.
The truth is that your wife may not mind yelling, your friends may not mind repeating themselves… But you need to correct your hearing loss to keep your brain healthy.
The truth is that your wife may not mind yelling, your friends may not mind repeating themselves… But you need to correct your hearing loss to keep your brain healthy.
Can Hearing Aids Give Your Ears the Work-Out They Need?
There are several studies that indicates that the ear can recover from the effects of auditory deprivation, though other studies show that “resolution of auditory deprivation is generally significant but incomplete following binaural amplification,” or in other words, yes, things get better with a pair of hearing aids, but the improvement is incomplete, meaning that the sooner you recognize hearing loss, the sooner you get treatment for hearing loss, the more success you will have with hearing aids and the better hearing you will have. The longer you ignore it, the harder it is to treat.
Research clearly shows the sooner you treat hearing loss the better outcome you will have with using and adapting to hearing aids. The solution? Keep your hearing nerves fresh and stimulated –don’t deprive them. See an audiologist when you first suspect hearing loss.
And, if you’ve suspected (or known) you have hearing loss, move your ears to an audiologist instead of turning up the TV and radio.
Hearing is one of the joys of life. The sooner you act when you suspect hearing loss, the better your hearing will be in the years ahead.
And guess what? As you wear hearing devices and begin to hear better, to understand better, and to better engage with your friends and family, you strengthen your relationship with them.
The wife of one of our patients said it best: “When Bob got the hearing aids, going to dinner with him became a delight! An absolute delight! I felt like we were dating again.”
Next Steps
Resolve to have a baseline hearing test to determine if you have hearing loss. For over 14 years, our hearing tests and evaluations have always been complimentary. It’s our way of giving back to the community.
So, come on, what are you waiting for? You know this is something that’s got to get done. Pick up the phone and call Decibels Audiology for your complimentary hearing test and evaluation!
Call today and schedule your complimentary hearing test and consultation.
Serving Southwest Florida for Over 14 Years!
Decibels Audiology and Hearing Aids
239-325-0596