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Another year is right around the corner. As we prepare to ring in the start of the year it is time to think about what we can do to make this year truly special. If you already have a regular exercise routine in place and improved your diet- there is always keeping up with your health. When we are young, we often find ourselves feeling invincible. However, at some point we start to realize that to keep feeling our best, it takes care and an investment in maintaining our health.
Hearing loss is one of the most common health concerns facing older adults. By the time we are 65 years old, one in three people will have some degree of hearing loss. By the time we reach 75 years old, half of us will have hearing loss. Being proactive around our health, means we can address issues before they progress to dangerous levels. A famous quote from Benjamin Franklin continues to ring true when he said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” When it comes to hearing loss, you may be surprised just how important early intervention can be for our overall health and well-being.
Issues with diagnosing hearing loss
Hearing loss often goes undiagnosed for years. This is because it can often develop slowly over years. Your brain rationalizes the loss. It’s not until someone mentions a sound such as the chirping of birds or an oven alarm and you just can’t hear it. High frequency hearing loss is the most common type, often caused by changes in the ear as we age or exposure to loud sounds during recreation or work. By the time most people are able to self-diagnose their hearing loss it’s gotten so serious it can be hard to communicate with others even in the most ideal of listening situations. However, for the years in which your hearing goes undiagnosed, whether you know it or not- it’s affecting many aspects of your life.
Early treatment can help prevent future issues
We think of hearing loss as an issue which only affects our ears, but unaddressed over many years, it can affect every aspect of our lives from physical, emotional, and cognitive. When we struggle to hear it can impact our relationships throughout our lives. At home it can make it difficult to connect to longtime friends, family members and even your significant other.
Hearing loss in the workplace
Many people with hearing loss are still in the workforce and it certainly affects your performance on the job. Those with hearing loss on average earn less than those with normal or treated hearing issues. In fact a study from the Better Hearing Institute reported that on average people with hearing loss may make $30,000 less annually than their hearing enabled coworkers. The important thing to understand is that by addressing a hearing loss you can be on the same playing field as your coworkers with normal hearing.
An impact on your cognitive health
We hear with our ears but listening happens in the brain. Sound is sent from our ears to our brain via tiny hair-like cells called stereocilia. However, they can be damaged by a wide range of causes including changes to our ears as we age, exposure to loud levels of sound, impact to the head, certain chemical exposures, and ongoing health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease. When these cells are damaged it inhibits the delivery of certain sounds to our brain and this causes our brain to work harder. When we listen to people in our life speak, we are having to fill in the missing blanks in words. Not only is this exhausting and frustrating but can have an impact on our cognitive health.
Early treatment is key
The sooner you address a hearing loss, the sooner you can start to prevent many of the dangerous side effects of hearing loss. On average people wait. Many people will wait 7 to ten years from the time they suspect they have a hearing loss to act and test for a possible deficit. Over this time, you may find that your career, your home life and your cognitive health have all been affected. In many cases it can be difficult to regain the years lost, rebuild relationships, and improve cognitive performance. These new years, stay on top of your health by scheduling a hearing exam with us!