How Are Dementia and Hearing Connected?

dementia patients

Loss of hearing and dementia are more prevalent as you age. This is no coincidence; the recent study shows. The two are interconnected undoubtedly.

Scientists are increasingly finding evidence that hearing problems make you more likely to have dementia or memory loss and problems with thinking, puzzle-solving, and mental tasks.

It doesn't mean individuals with hearing loss are expected to have dementia— simply greater odds. You can do stuff to reduce your likelihood of mental decrease, even if you begin hearing difficulty then you need to pay a visit to your nearest ENT doctor in OKC.

Dementia

As we age, when we were younger, many brain cells do not work as well as they did. Although hearing loss appears to be natural with aging, dementia is not. It's a syndrome of progression. Dementia happens when at least two of the following are impacted, according to the Hearing Loss Foundation.

  • Memory

  • Focus

  • Communication

  • Attention

  • Performing everyday tasks

  • Judgment

Hearing Loss

Hearing loss suddenly doesn't happen — your hearing will turn worse with time. If you don't know if you need an auditory test, you can ask yourself the following queries:

  • Do you always switch the TV or music player volume up?

  • Do you have trouble understanding others because they're mumbling?

  • Can you obviously hear someone standing behind you?

  • Do you ask others to repeat what they're saying?

  • Avoid restaurants because in them you find it harder to hear?

There are also several risk factors for a hearing loss to develop. These include:

  • Loud noise exposure for longer time

  • Chronic ear infections

  • Age

  • Ear ringing

  • Meniere’s Disease

Three Involving Factors

People with hearing loss feel isolated because when you are unable to hear it is difficult to participate in discussions or be social with others. A connection between feeling lonely or isolated and dementia has been shown by some studies. So, hearing loss can cause mental decrease to occur more quickly than it would otherwise.

If you don't hear well, your brain will have to work harder to process noise. That can take funds for other significant operations that it could use.

If your ears can't pick up as many sounds anymore, your hearing nerves will give your brain fewer signals. The brain decreases as a consequence.

Treatment

To develop an efficient therapy, ENT specialists are continuing research into the association between hearing loss and dementia.

Obtaining a hearing aid will obviously not only assist you comprehend what is being said, but it will also take off of your brain some of the "cognitive load" so it can focus on other duties. Several distinct kinds of hearing aids, including a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA), are accessible.

Reach at OKOA for ent doctors in OKC.

**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.