Everybody loves the idea of a miracle cure that helps increase your lifespan. As a matter of fact, a brief internet search will likely return thousands of such miracle cures (if not more), each promising to help you live longer thanks to one simple trick. The vast majority of these alleged cures have no medical basis and are not backed by the healthcare community.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that nothing you do can positively impact your lifespan. Your expected lifespan can be positively affected by quitting smoking and eating a healthy diet.
This is also true of managing hearing loss by wearing hearing aids. And a multidisciplinary journal that centers around healthy aging, called The Lancet Healthy Longevity, has recently released research that underlines this. So, will wearing hearing aids to treat hearing loss help increase longevity? There’s a strong likelihood that it will according to this study.
Does hearing loss pose a threat to your health?
The relationship between your hearing health and your overall wellness isn’t particularly new to researchers. The fact that untreated hearing loss can substantially raise your chances of experiencing cognitive decline is well established, for instance.
These risks, however, are generally unknown by most individuals. They think about hearing loss as an isolated inconvenience, something that only impacts one very particular part of their life. But the reality is that hearing loss is more than a simple nuisance, especially when left untreated.
Is there a link between hearing aids and longevity?
In the majority of cases, treatment for hearing loss means using hearing aids as much as possible. So does this mean that you can reduce your risk of early death by using hearing aids? According to this latest study, quite possibly. There is a 24% decrease in mortality risk for individuals with hearing loss who regularly use hearing aids, as revealed by this study. In other words, the people who participated in the study who wore hearing aids had a tendency to live longer.
Hearing aid advantages
The study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity is not necessarily conclusive proof that hearing aids will help you live longer (although the study does strongly indicate a relationship). However, it’s another piece of evidence to add onto what we already understand about the benefits of hearing aids.
- You can prevent accidents and injuries by being more conscious of your surroundings.
- Hearing aids can help you enjoy everyday moments with friends and family, from going out to eat with colleagues to asking your grandchildren about their school day.
- Cognition can be increased by wearing hearing aids. This means that you (and your brain) will likely be less tired and healthier over time.
- Social situations can become significantly easier. This can limit the degree of social solitude you feel, increasing your overall mental health.
These are improvements to your quality of life that you’ll experience every time you use your hearing aids. These are all practical reasons to use hearing aids to manage your hearing loss.
Hearing is a major part of your health and wellness
Scientists have recognized that the health of your hearing plays a significant role in your total wellness. Your risk of early mortality can be reduced by managing any hearing loss you might have with hearing aids.
Seeing a hearing specialist can help you identify whether you have hearing loss and the best way to treat it.