Everyone loves the concept of a miracle cure that helps increase your lifespan. In fact, a brief internet search will likely return thousands of such miracle cures (if not more), each promising to help you live longer if you employ one simple trick. Pretty much all of these alleged cures have no medical foundation and are not supported by the healthcare community.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that nothing you do can positively impact your longevity. For example, eating a healthy diet (particularly one low in sodium and saturated fats) or quitting smoking can dramatically affect your expected lifespan.
Using hearing aids to manage hearing loss is also in this category. That’s in line with recent research published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, a multidisciplinary journal committed to healthy aging. So, can hearing aids help you live longer? According to this study, it’s a distinct possibility.
Is hearing loss a health threat?
Researchers have been aware of the relationship between overall wellness and hearing health for quite a while. The fact that neglected hearing loss can substantially raise your chances of developing dementia is well established, for instance.
Many people, however, are not aware of these risks. They think that hearing loss will only impact one facet of their lives and is a mere nuisance. But the truth is that hearing loss is more than a simple nuisance, especially when left untreated.
The link between longevity and hearing loss
In the majority of cases, treatment for hearing loss means wearing hearing aids as often as possible. So does this mean that you can decrease your risk of early death by using hearing aids? According to this latest research, quite possibly. The study found that day-to-day hearing aid use was connected to a 24% reduction in mortality risk. In other words, the people who participated in the study who used hearing aids had a tendency to live longer.
Hearing aid advantages
Although The Lancet Healthy Longevity study strongly indicates a link between hearing health and longevity, it doesn’t definitely prove that wearing hearing aids will help you live longer. But we already have a large body of evidence about the many advantages of using hearing aids and this just adds to that body.
- Using your hearing aids can help enhance cognition. This means that you (and your brain) will probably be less tired and healthier over time.
- From enjoying caring moments with your grandkids to participating in a business dinner, everyday situations with friends, family, and colleagues will be easier.
- You can prevent accidents and injuries by being more conscious of your environment.
- Social situations can become considerably easier. This can limit the degree of social solitude you feel, increasing your overall mental health.
Whenever you wear your hearing aids, you will feel these improvements to your life. These are all practical reasons to use hearing aids to manage your hearing loss.
Hearing is an important part of your health and wellness
The more we discover about the links between hearing loss and the rest of your body, the more scientists have come to recognize that your hearing is an extremely significant part of your general health and wellness. If you have hearing loss, getting diagnosed and wearing hearing aids can significantly reduce your early mortality risks.
Seeing a hearing specialist can help you determine whether you have hearing loss and the best way to manage it.
