When we talk about the impact of hearing loss, we tend to think of it in practical terms. Bad hearing makes it tough to hear what people are saying or listen to the TV without the volume turned right up.
Those are common challenges that people face, but we often don’t realize that hearing loss has a much bigger impact than that. Hearing loss can actually have a big negative impact on a person’s mental health, and this is something that we do not talk about as much as we should.
If somebody in your life is having a hard time with their hearing, it is important that you support them and encourage them to seek treatment before it gets worse and damages their mental health. These are some of the ways that hearing loss can impact your mental health.
Social Isolation
Hearing loss makes social situations incredibly difficult, especially in busy places like restaurants or bars. When you have a lot of background noise and you are talking with a large group of people, it is very hard to follow the conversation properly.
In many cases, this leads to people staying quiet during conversations because they cannot follow along and contribute due to their hearing loss. Your enjoyment of social situations declines very quickly when your hearing is bad, and a lot of people find that they start to withdraw from social situations and isolate themselves.
This is a huge problem because social interaction is very important if you want to improve your mental health. However, if you get your hearing tested and get fitted with hearing products like hearing aids, it makes a big difference.
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Depression
Hearing loss can make people feel that they are getting old and their body is failing them, and that is tough to come to terms with. When you couple this feeling with social isolation, it can very quickly lead to depression.
There have been a lot of studies into this, and the results show that there is a strong link between hearing problems and depression and 11 percent of people with hearing loss experience depression.
Although there are other factors involved, hearing loss can massively increase your chances of developing depression. Because of this, it is important that you seek specialist help if you are having trouble.
Cognitive Decline
As you get older, it is important that you take steps to look after your cognitive ability. But hearing loss has been linked to cognitive decline and although there is not a huge amount of evidence to suggest that it is a direct cause, results suggest that poor hearing can be a contributing factor to conditions like dementia.
That is why it is so important that you take care of your hearing as you get older, and don’t avoid seeing a doctor if you think that something is wrong. If you notice a small change in your hearing, see a doctor right away and get treatment before it gets worse.
Hearing loss isn’t just a simple problem that makes it hard to hear the TV. It can have a huge impact on your mental health so, if you notice any problems, see a doctor right away.