Hearing aids are remarkable technology. Today, they’re small, unobtrusive, and loaded with Bluetooth connectivity and rechargeable batteries. They’re smart too. They can automatically sense your sound environment and adjust to improve sound clarity. Think restaurants.
Hearing aids for brain health
If you only have a mild hearing loss, you might conclude that you don't need hearing aids. But before you do, consider the following research from Johns Hopkins and Oxford: Researchers at Johns Hopkins have confirmed that mild, moderate, and severe hearing loss doubles, triples, and quadruples the risk of dementia. The University of Oxford found that poor speech-in-noise hearing (again, busy places like restaurants) was associated with a 91% increased risk of developing dementia.
The research is clear: Your brain needs sound to function well. Without the proper amount of stimulation from sound, your memory and your ability to think deteriorate. Hearing aids are technology for sound thinking.
“Most people with hearing loss believe they can go about their lives just fine without treatment, and maybe some can. But hearing loss is not benign. It has been linked to social isolation, depression, cognitive decline, and dementia. Hearing loss should be treated.” —Justin Golub, MD, of Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Benefits of sound for thinking
Hearing aids improve your brain's health by ensuring it gets the sound stimulation it needs. With hearing loss, your ears send less sound information to your brain. As a result, your brain literally shrinks (confirmed by MRIs) and the risk of dementia increases.
Why would you risk dementia from hearing loss when hearing aids mitigate the risk?
Sound thinking improves your social life, too, because hearing aids make it easier to follow conversations. They do this two ways: (1) ensuring the right sound level, and (2) filtering out distracting noise. With clean sound, you can once again enjoy conversations in busy, noisy places. Trying to decipher group conversations with lots of background clamor is one of life's great frustrations. Hearing aids solve the problem.
Is your brain getting enough sound?
As we discussed earlier, only a mild hearing loss doubles the risk of dementia. If your brain isn't getting the sound it needs, there's a lot at stake.
With aging, losing some hearing is natural. The problem is you cannot detect how much hearing you've lost on your own. You have to measure it.
Call to schedule a hearing screening
Our hearing screenings are free, take only 15-minutes, and are always performed by an audiologist. If you need hearing aids, your audiologist will guide you to the right choice for your particular needs and budget.
Crest Hill: 630-633-5060 | Palos Hills: 708-599-9500
