Everybody loves the concept of a miracle cure that helps increase your lifespan. That’s why you can find a great number of these miracle cures all over the internet ensuring longevity if you do this one trick. Pretty much all 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. For example, eating a healthy diet (specifically one low in sodium and saturated fats) or quitting smoking can substantially impact your expected lifespan.
Using hearing aids to manage hearing loss is also in this category. That’s in line with a recent study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, a multidisciplinary journal devoted to healthy aging. So, can hearing aids help you have a longer life? According to this research, it’s a distinct possibility.
Does hearing loss pose a threat to your health?
The relationship between your hearing health and your overall wellness is not necessarily new to researchers. For instance, it has been well demonstrated that untreated hearing loss can substantially raise your risk of cognitive decline later in life.
Many individuals, however, are unaware of these risks. They consider hearing loss to be an isolated inconvenience, something that only impacts one very specific part of their life. But when left untreated, hearing loss can pose bigger health concerns than a simple inconvenience.
The connection between lifespan and hearing loss
Usually, wearing hearing aids as often as possible will be the main way to treat hearing loss. In this context, do hearing aids decrease the risk of early death? According to this most recent study, possibly. There is a 24% decrease in mortality risk for individuals with hearing loss who regularly use hearing aids, as reported by this study. The participants in this study, in other words, who wore their hearing aids, tended to live longer.
The advantages of hearing aids
Although The Lancet Healthy Longevity study strongly suggests a link between hearing health and lifespan, it doesn’t definitely prove that wearing hearing aids will help you live longer. However, it’s another piece of evidence to add onto what we already understand about the advantages of hearing aids.
- Wearing your hearing aids can help improve cognition. Over time, your brain will be healthier and less fatigued from straining to hear.
- Hearing aids can help you enjoy day-to-day moments with friends and family, from going out to lunch with colleagues to asking your grandkids about their school day.
- It will be easier to function in social engagements. This can minimize the degree of social separation you feel, increasing your overall mental health.
- You can prevent accidents and injuries by being more conscious of your surroundings.
These are improvements to your quality of life that you’ll feel each time you use your hearing aids. These are all great reasons to use hearing aids to treat your hearing loss.
Hearing is an essential part of your health and wellness
Scientists have recognized that the health of your hearing plays a major role in your total wellness. If you have hearing loss, getting diagnosed and wearing hearing aids can substantially reduce your early mortality risks.
Seeing a hearing specialist can help you determine whether you have hearing loss and the best way to treat it.