A miracle cure that can help extend your lifespan is something pretty much everyone would want. As a matter of fact, a quick internet search will probably return thousands of such miracle cures (if not more), each promising to help you have a longer life thanks to one simple trick. The healthcare community doesn’t back the vast majority of these supposed cures as they have no real medical basis.
However, that doesn’t mean that nothing you do can positively impact your lifespan. For example, eating a healthy diet (especially one low in sodium and saturated fats) or quitting smoking can significantly affect your expected lifespan.
This is also true of managing hearing loss by wearing hearing aids. And a multidisciplinary journal that focuses on healthy aging, called The Lancet Healthy Longevity, has recently released research that backs this up. So, can hearing aids help you have a longer life? There’s a strong possibility that it will according to this research.
Is hearing loss a health risk?
Researchers have been aware of the relationship between overall wellness and hearing health for quite a while. The fact that neglected hearing loss can considerably increase your risk of developing cognitive decline is well founded, for example.
These risks, however, are generally unknown by most individuals. They consider hearing loss to be an isolated inconvenience, something that only affects one very specific aspect of their life. But the reality is that hearing loss is more than a simple nuisance, particularly when left untreated.
Is there a connection between hearing aids and longevity?
In most instances, treatment for hearing loss means wearing hearing aids as much as possible. In this context, do hearing aids reduce the risk of early death? There is a definite possibility, according to this recent study, that hearing aids can decrease your risk of early death. There is a 24% reduction in mortality risk for people with hearing loss who regularly use hearing aids, as revealed by this study. In other words, the individuals observed in the study who wore hearing aids had a tendency to live longer.
The benefits of hearing aids
Although The Lancet Healthy Longevity study strongly suggests a relationship between hearing health and longevity, it doesn’t absolutely prove that using hearing aids will help you live longer. However, it’s another piece of information to add onto what we already know about the benefits of hearing aids.
- It will be easier to function in social engagements. This can minimize the amount of social separation you feel, increasing your overall mental wellness.
- From enjoying tender moments with your grandchildren to taking part in a business dinner, everyday situations with friends, family, and colleagues will be easier.
- You may also be more conscious of your surroundings. This can help prevent accidents, injuries, and mishaps.
- Using your hearing aids can help increase cognition. This means that you (and your brain) will probably be less tired and healthier over time.
These are improvements to your quality of life that you’ll feel every time you use your hearing aids. For these reasons alone, hearing aids are an important part of treating your hearing loss.
Your overall health and well-being depend heavily on healthy hearing
The more we discover about the relationships between hearing loss and the rest of your body, the more scientists have come to understand that your hearing is an exceptionally important part of your overall health and wellness. Your risk of early mortality can be diminished by treating any hearing loss you may have with hearing aids.
Seeing a hearing specialist can help you identify whether you have hearing loss and the best way to manage it.
