Effects of Hearing Loss on Your Health

When someone’s hearing is declining, they don’t always seek help immediately. They can be very reluctant and embarrassed that they now have this issue, and they don’t know where to start. That’s where Harbor Audiology & Hearing Services Inc., in both Gig Harbor and Tacoma, WA, can help.

Unfortunately, many people wait too many years, even sometimes decades, before seeking treatment for their hearing loss. Some see it as a sign of weakness or they feel complacent as their hearing deteriorates.

How does untreated hearing loss affect your health?

• Emotionally–
  irritability, negative thoughts, and anger. Fatigue, stress, and depression are major risks. It can also create avoidance or withdrawal from social situations.
• Socially–
  untreated hearing loss can strain relationships with friends, families, and co-workers. It can cause the feeling of rejection and loneliness. Reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety can occur as well as a decrease in job performance.
• Mentally–
  impaired memory and ability to learn any new tasks. Psychological health can diminish.

Hearing loss can strike at any time and any age, even children. For the younger generations, even a mild or moderate occurrence of hearing loss could bring difficulty in learning and developing speech. Building interpersonal skills necessary for self-esteem and success in life are important.

Hearing care professionals have researched and found that the link between cognition (the act or process of knowing) and hearing acuity (sharpness). When you are listening to sounds or someone speaking, your brain is developing the sound so that you can fully understand it. If someone with untreated hearing loss tries to understand speech or sound signals, so their brain has to work harder to complete this process. While your brain is busy working to understand the speech or sound signals, other functions like memory and comprehension can suffer greatly.