Putting off on important appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amongst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day events. You might even find yourself hesitating to order hearing aids altogether. However, delaying treatment for hearing loss is far more than just a misstep concerning your ears alone.
Untreated hearing loss can result in a greater risk of mental decline
Scientists have established a clear link between untreated hearing loss and mental decline. This is one reason why delaying treatment is never a good plan.
Hearing loss will get worse if it goes untreated
If you care about your hearing health, it’s essential to never neglect any symptoms of hearing loss. By avoiding appointments with a hearing specialist or holding off on the purchase of hearing aids, you unintentionally subject your ears to additional damage.
You might find yourself constantly increasing the volume on your various devices, exacerbating the damage to your ears and accelerating the development of hearing loss. Hearing aids can amplify particular frequencies of sound thereby slowing down the development of hearing loss.
The connection to mental function
Your brain and your hearing are intricately connected. Mental function can be seriously impacted by untreated hearing loss according to some substantial research. Over time, cognitive decline can be exacerbated by depression and anxiety caused by social separation.
Also, the recovery of normal hearing function can be complicated because untreated hearing loss will force the brain to adapt by reallocating mental resources from other functions, such as visual processes, over to auditory processes.
Navigating neuroplasticity
In this situation, neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt, can be both a friend and a foe. The brain will have a difficult time reverting back to its previous state after it rewires itself to accommodate for extended neglected hearing loss.
However, it isn’t impossible to undo these effects. Despite previous delays in getting treatment, using hearing aids as prescribed by a specialist can still deliver substantial benefits in both the short and long term.
Schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist
While prompt treatment is ideal, it’s never too late to tackle hearing loss. Scheduling an appointment with us as soon as you can is crucial, ensuring you can enjoy improved hearing and mental function moving forward. Call today!