Are you forgetting something? You’re not imagining it. It really is getting more difficult to remember things in everyday life. Once you become aware of it, memory loss seems to advance quickly. It becomes more incapacitating the more aware of it you become. The majority of people don’t realize that there’s a connection between memory loss and hearing loss.
And no, this isn’t just a normal occurrence of getting older. There’s always a root cause for the loss of the ability to process memories.
Ignored hearing loss is frequently that reason. Is your memory being impacted by hearing loss? You can delay the onset of memory loss significantly and perhaps even get some back if you know the cause.
Here are some facts to think about.
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 untreated hearing loss are 24% more likely to develop dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other severe cognitive problems.
There are complex interrelated reasons for this.
Mental fatigue
Initially, the brain will need to work overtime to overcome hearing loss. You have to strain to hear things. While this came naturally before, it’s now something your brain needs to work to process.
You start to use your deductive reasoning abilities. You attempt to figure out what people most likely said by removing unlikely choices.
Your brain is under extra strain as a result. It’s especially stressful when your deductive reasoning skills let you down. The outcome of this can be misconceptions, embarrassment, and sometimes even resentment.
How we process memory can be seriously impacted by stress. When we’re stressed, we’re spending brain resources that we should be utilizing for memory.
As the hearing loss progresses, something new happens.
Feeling older
You can begin to “feel older” than you actually are when you’re constantly asking people to repeat what they said and struggling to hear. This can start a downhill spiral in which thoughts of “getting old” when you’re actually not become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Social solitude
We’re all familiar with that story of somebody whose loneliness causes them to lose their grip on the world around them. We humans are social creatures. Even people who are introverted struggle when they’re never with others.
Neglected hearing loss slowly isolates a person. It’s more difficult to talk on the phone. Social get-togethers are less enjoyable because you have to ask people to repeat themselves. Family and friends start to exclude you from discussions. Even when you’re in a setting with a lot of people, you might zone out and feel secluded. The radio might not even be there to keep you company after a while.
Being alone just seems simpler. 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 frequently stimulated it becomes difficult to process new information.
Brain atrophy
As somebody with neglected hearing loss starts to isolate themselves either physically or just mentally, a chain reaction commences in the brain. There’s no more stimulation going to parts of the brain. They quit functioning.
Our brain functions are extremely coordinated. Hearing is connected with speech, memory, learning, problem-solving, and other abilities.
There will typically be a gradual spread of this functional atrophy to other brain activity, like hearing, which is also connected to memory.
It’s analogous to how the legs become atrophied when someone is bedridden for an extended period of time. Muscles become weak when they’re sick in bed over a period of time. They could stop working altogether. They may have to have physical therapy to learn to walk again.
But the brain is different. Once it starts down this slippery slope, it’s difficult to undo the damage. The brain actually begins to shrink. Doctors can see this on brain scans.
How memory loss can be stopped by hearing aids
If you’re reading this, then you’re still in the beginning stages of memory loss. It may be barely noticeable. It’s not the hearing loss itself that is leading to memory loss, and that’s the good news.
It’s untreated hearing loss.
Research has shown that individuals with hearing loss who regularly wear their hearing aid have the same chance of developing memory loss as someone of the same age with healthy hearing. People who started using hearing aids after symptoms appeared were able to slow the progression considerably.
As you age, try to stay connected and active. Keep your memories, memory loss is linked to hearing loss. Be mindful of the health of your hearing. Have your hearing checked. And if there’s any reason you aren’t wearing your hearing aid, please speak with us about treatment options – we can help!
