Is It Time to Do Something About Your Hearing Loss?

3. Uncorrected hearing takes a toll on your memory and other cognitive abilities

When you're struggling to hear people talk in a crowded restaurant, say, your frontal and prefrontal cortexes — the parts of the brain that help you think, focus, concentrate and remember things for brief periods (known as working memory) — become more active. “Because you're using these parts of the brain to listen, you can't use them as effectively to understand the meaning of what's being said, so your comprehension declines,” Sharma says. Research has confirmed that those with hearing loss have deficits in the brain's processing speed and executive function, she adds — and has even linked hearing loss with dementia. But an international analysis published in 2017 in The Lancet called hearing loss one of the largest modifiable risks for developing dementia. “The idea that it's modifiable is hopeful,” Sharma says. “Our research has shown that a well-fitting hearing aid can turn cognitive problems around.”

4. It's safer to be able to hear well

People with hearing loss may not hear smoke alarms or doorbells or sirens that signal severe weather, says Jackie Clark, a clinical professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas in Dallas, and past president of the American Academy of Audiology. “One of my patients didn't hear a man who broke into her home and knocked over a dish hutch,” Clark says. “She was unharmed physically, but the realization that she wasn't aware of her surroundings took an emotional toll and prompted her to get hearing aids.” What's more, researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute on Aging found that people with mild hearing loss are three times as likely to fall as people with normal hearing.

5. Straining to hear is stressful

"Even minimal hearing loss can increase stress, and that can cause all sorts of stress-related problems, from muscle tension, headaches and fatigue to anxiety, frustration, anger, irritability and depression,” says Angela Shoup, a professor of otolaryngology and chief of the division of communicative and vestibular disorders at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

6. It takes a toll on your social life, too

When hearing is a challenge, it's exhausting to try to follow conversations. “It requires a lot more concentration, and that leads to fatigue,” Sharma says. Over time, that level of effort can become daunting and decrease the joy you take in spending time with people you love.

7. Think of caring for your hearing as part of an overall healthy lifestyle

"In a perfect world we eat healthy food, stay physically active and get routine cancer screening tests because we know those things are good for us,” Grimes says. Getting your hearing checked and hearing loss treated is an indispensable part of that stay-well approach.

8. Hearing aids are better than ever

There are “invisible” hearing aids that are placed in your ear canal or behind your ear, and digital signal processing allows audiologists to adjust hearing aids to suit your needs. And as soon as the Food and Drug Administration implements legislation that passed in 2017, less expensive hearing aids, with the same technology as prescription devices, will be available over the counter (although getting hearing aids through an audiologist may still offer more customization).

9. It's virtually impossible to hide hearing loss

If you're constantly asking people to speak up or repeat themselves, they're going to know what's up. It's reassuring to know that you can protect yourself from problems associated with hearing loss and use the technology that's available to help you overcome it.

Ginny Graves is a contributing writer who specializes in psychology, science and health. She is the author of a number of books, including, with Carol Novello, Mutual Rescue: How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You, Too.