Everyone loves the idea of a miracle cure that helps you live longer. In fact, a quick internet search will likely return thousands of such miracle cures (if not more), each promising to help you have a longer life thanks to one simple trick. The vast majority of these so-called cures have no medical basis and are not supported by the healthcare community.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that nothing you do can positively impact your lifespan. Your expected lifespan can be positively affected by quitting smoking and eating a healthy diet.
Using hearing aids to manage hearing loss is also in this group. And a multidisciplinary publication that centers around healthy aging, called The Lancet Healthy Longevity, has recently released research that reinforces this. So, can hearing aids help you have a longer life? There’s a strong possibility that it will according to this research.
Is hearing loss a health risk?
Researchers have been aware of the link between overall wellness and hearing health for quite a while. For example, it has been well demonstrated that untreated hearing loss can significantly raise your risk of cognitive decline later in life.
Many people, however, are not aware of these risks. They believe that hearing loss will only affect one facet of their lives and is a mere nuisance. But when neglected, hearing loss can pose greater health concerns than a simple inconvenience.
The link between lifespan and hearing loss
In most instances, treatment for hearing loss involves using hearing aids as much as possible. So does this mean that you can decrease your risk of early death by using hearing aids? According to this newest study, possibly. The study found that regular hearing aid use was connected to a 24% reduction in mortality risk. The participants in this study, in other words, who wore their hearing aids, had a tendency to live longer.
Hearing aid advantages
The research published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity is not necessarily conclusive 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 benefits of hearing aids.
- Hearing aids can help you enjoy day-to-day moments with friends and family, from going out to lunch with colleagues to asking your grandchildren about their school day.
- Using your hearing aids can help enhance cognition. Over time, your brain will be healthier and less fatigued from struggling to hear.
- You can prevent accidents and injuries by being more aware of your surroundings.
- Social situations can become substantially easier. This will help your general well-being by reducing your feelings of social solitude.
These are improvements to your quality of life that you’ll feel every time you wear your hearing aids. These are all great reasons to use hearing aids to treat your hearing loss.
Your total health and well-being depend heavily on healthy hearing
Scientists have recognized that the health of your hearing plays a major role in your overall wellness. Your risk of early mortality can be reduced by managing any hearing loss you might have with hearing aids.
If you suspect that you might have some level of hearing loss, it’s time to call us for a consultation.