Forgetting Essential Information? This Might be Why

Senior couple suffering from hearing loss standing in front of a pink backdrop trying to remember something.

Are you forgetting something? You aren’t imagining it. Remembering everyday things is becoming harder and harder. Memory loss seems to advance fairly quickly once it’s noticed. The more aware you are of it, the more incapacitating it is. Did you know memory loss is linked to hearing loss?

And no, this isn’t simply a natural occurrence of getting older. Losing the ability to process memories always has an underlying reason.

Neglected hearing loss is frequently that reason. Is your ability to remember being affected by hearing loss? You can slow the development of memory loss significantly and maybe even get some back if you are aware of what’s causing it.

Here’s what you should know.

How memory loss can be triggered by untreated hearing loss

They aren’t unrelated. As a matter of fact, researchers have found that individuals with neglected hearing loss are 24% more likely to develop dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other extreme cognitive issues.
There are complicated interrelated reasons for this.

Mental fatigue

Initially, the brain will need to work harder to overcome hearing loss. Listening to things requires additional effort. While this came naturally before, it’s now something your brain needs to strain to process.

You begin to use your deductive reasoning skills. When trying to listen, you remove the unlikely choices to determine what someone most likely said.

Your brain is under additional strain as a result. And when you can’t accurately use those deductive reasoning abilities it can be particularly stressful. The consequence of this can be misconceptions, embarrassment, and sometimes even resentment.

Stress has a major impact on how we process memory. Mental resources that we should be using for memory get tied up when we’re dealing with stress.

And something new starts to take place as hearing loss advances.

Feeling older

This strain of having to work overtime to hear and asking people to repeat themselves makes a person “feel older” than they are. If you’re always thinking that you’re getting old, it can become a self fulfilling prophecy.

Social withdrawal

We’ve all heard the trope of the person who’s so lonely that they start to lose touch with reality. Human beings are created to be social. Even introverts struggle when they’re never with others.

Neglected hearing loss slowly isolates a person. It’s more difficult to talk on the phone. You need to have people repeat what they said at social gatherings making them much less pleasant. Family and friends begin to exclude you from discussions. You might be off in space feeling separated even when you’re in a room full of people. Eventually, you might not even have the radio to keep you company.

It’s just easier to spend more time alone. You feel as if you can’t relate to your friends now because you feel older than them even though you’re not.

When your brain isn’t regularly stimulated it becomes difficult to process new information.

Brain atrophy

A chain reaction starts in the brain when a person starts to physically or mentally seclude themselves. There’s no more stimulation going to parts of the brain. They quit working.

There’s a high degree of interconnectivity between the various regions of the brain. Hearing is linked to speech, memory, learning, problem-solving, and other abilities.

There will usually be a slow spread of this functional atrophy to other brain functions, like hearing, which is also connected to memory.

It’s analogous to how the legs become atrophied when someone is bedridden for a long period of time. When they are sick in bed for an extended time, leg muscles become very weak. They may stop working altogether. Learning to walk again might require physical therapy.

But the brain is different. Once it goes down this slippery slope, it’s difficult to reverse the damage. Shrinkage actually happens to the brain. Doctors can see this on brain scans.

How a hearing aid can prevent memory loss

If you’re reading this, then you’re probably still in the early stages of memory loss. It might be hardly noticeable. The good news is that it isn’t the hearing loss that contributes to memory loss.

It’s neglected hearing loss.

In this research, individuals who were using their hearing aids regularly were no more likely to have memory loss than a person of a similar age who doesn’t have hearing loss. Those who started using hearing aids after symptoms appeared were able to delay the progression significantly.

Stay connected and active as you age. If you want to keep your memory intact you need to recognize that it’s closely linked to hearing loss. Don’t dismiss your hearing health. Have your hearing tested. And if there’s any reason you’re not using your hearing aid, please consult us about treatment options – we can help!

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.

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