A miracle cure that can help increase your lifespan is something pretty much everyone would want. As a matter of fact, a quick internet search will likely return thousands of such miracle cures (if not more), each promising to help you have a longer life thanks to one simple trick. Pretty much all of these alleged cures have no medical foundation and are not endorsed by the healthcare community.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that nothing you do can positively impact your longevity. For example, eating a healthy diet (especially one low in sodium and saturated fats) or quitting smoking can dramatically affect your expected lifespan.
This is also true of managing hearing loss by wearing hearing aids. That’s according to a recent study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, a multidisciplinary publication committed to healthy aging. So, can hearing aids help you have a longer life? There’s a strong likelihood that it will according to this research.
Does hearing loss pose a threat to your health?
Researchers have been aware of the link between general wellness and hearing health for quite some time. For example, it has been well demonstrated that neglected hearing loss can substantially increase your risk of cognitive decline later in life.
These risks, however, are largely unknown by most individuals. They think about hearing loss as an isolated hassle, something that only affects one very specific part of their life. But the reality is that hearing loss is more than a simple nuisance, particularly when neglected.
The connection between longevity and hearing loss
Usually, using hearing aids as often as possible will be the primary way to treat hearing loss. So does this mean that you can decrease your risk of early death by using hearing aids? There is a definite possibility, according to this recent research, that hearing aids can decrease your risk of early death. The study revealed that regular hearing aid use was connected to a 24% decrease in mortality risk. In other words, the people who participated in the study who wore hearing aids had a tendency to live longer.
The benefits of hearing aids
The research published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity isn’t exactly definitive proof that hearing aids will help you live longer (although the study does strongly suggest a relationship). But we already have a large body of evidence about the many benefits of using hearing aids and this just adds to that body.
- Using your hearing aids can help increase cognition. This means that you (and your brain) will probably be less exhausted and healthier over time.
- From enjoying tender moments with your grandkids to taking part in a business dinner, everyday situations with friends, family, and colleagues will be easier.
- Social engagements can become considerably easier. This can limit the amount of social isolation you feel, improving your overall mental health.
- You can prevent accidents and injuries by being more mindful of your surroundings.
These are improvements to your quality of life that you’ll experience every time you use your hearing aids. For these reasons alone, hearing aids are a significant part of treating your hearing loss.
Your total health and well-being depend heavily on healthy hearing
Scientists have established that the health of your hearing plays a major role in your total wellness. If you have hearing loss, getting diagnosed and using hearing aids can substantially diminish your early mortality risks.
Seeing a hearing specialist can help you determine whether you have hearing loss and the best way to treat it.