Sue Says Series – Why Should You Wear Hearing Aids, If You Have Hearing Loss

Like all of the muscles in your body, your brain needs stimulation (exercise) in order to stay healthy and “fit” for your entire life.  One of the most important ways to stimulate your brain is through healthy hearing.  Good hearing equals good brain health.

As we go along in life, it is easy to lose track of diminishing hearing loss.  We attribute not being able to hear well to other’s poor speech habits, to the excess noise around us, to poor PA systems, to people walking away as they speak, and so on.  In other words, it’s everyone elses’s fault, and if they would only speak up, speak clearly, turn down other sound sources, we would be fine.  That is what most hard of hearing people say, and it is only partially true.   The real truth is that most hearing loss is gradual and we don’t realize just how many sounds in our daily lives we are no longer hearing until we finally make that appointment with our audiologist.  The audiogram that your hearing professional completes for you does not lie, and each decibel you are no longer hearing is a loss of stimulation to your brain.

The obvious answer to why you should wear hearing aids is to foster good brain health.  But there are other reasons as well.  It turns out that another key building block of good cognitive function is social relationships and as we know,  enjoying healthy social relationships is enhanced when you can hear well.  If you can’t hear well, there is a tendency to avoid socialization, leading to isolation and loneliness.  If you have hearing loss, you may already know that it takes a lot of effort to hear, leading to brain fatigue.  Untreated hearing loss requires more effort, forcing your brain to try to fill in gaps, figure out what’s going on, and see where the sound is originating.  It can be exhausting !  Treating your hearing loss with properly fitted and programmed hearing aids reduces that effort considerably.  We still may need the help of our friends and family to face us when they speak, but the fatigue is reduced and your brain is being stimulated in ways that contribute to good cognitive health.

Staying active physically and mentally, socializing and staying engaged, and getting those hearing aids if you need them, all contribute to a healthy brain, something we all hope for in our lives.