Peter studied hearing aid fitting at the world headquarters of Starkey Labs. He was able to have hands on training with the company’s founder, Bill Austin. He has also undergone advanced training in the smallest, nearly invisible style hearing aids, and has expanded his education by traveling to Denmark to learn directly from European hearing aid manufacturers. He continues to attend conferences and training seminars to stay current on the rapidly evolving world of hearing aid technology.
Latest posts by Peter Lucier, HIS (see all)
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Hearing loss can be mild, moderate, severe, or profound. Mild hearing loss often goes unnoticed, and you might make excuses for the sounds you can’t hear. You may not realize you’ve haven’t heard the sound of the rain in a couple of years, and you don’t notice that it’s gotten harder to follow conversations. In fact, you may blame others for speaking too softly or mumbling, and you don’t realize that the problem is actually in your ears.
But mild hearing loss shouldn’t be ignored. A recent study found that even a mild hearing loss contributes to cognitive decline.
What is Cognitive Decline?
Cognitive decline might sound like an abstract concept, so let’s talk about it. Cognitive decline simply means that your brain isn’t functioning on all cylinders anymore. You will notice that it takes you longer to solve a problem or finish a task. You might have a harder time concentrating or you might miss some important details. Cognitive declines can make it harder to you to remember things, and make it more difficult to make new memories. In fact, memory problems are one of the clearest signs of cognitive decline. It’s also linked to higher rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Signs of Mild Hearing Loss
Mild hearing loss is often hard to detect at first. In fact, you might not be the first one to notice it. Instead, your family may start telling you that you’re not hearing as well as before. They could complain that the TV volume is too loud, or that you’ve been asking them to repeat themselves. Or maybe they’ve called to you from the kitchen and you didn’t hear them at all.
Some of the signs of mild hearing loss include:
- Missing soft sounds, like bird song or leaves rustling
- Inability to hear whispered conversation
- Failing to hear someone speaking in another room
- Having a harder time understanding someone if they’re turned away from you
- Struggling to hear high pitched sounds
- Having a hard time hearing in background noise
These signs may not seem very serious, so you’ve probably been ignoring your hearing loss. But living with untreated mild hearing loss contributes to cognitive decline.
Mild Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline
A recent study that was published in the JAMA Otolaryngology journal took a close look at how cognitive decline and mild hearing loss are connected. The study had over 6,400 participants aged 50 and up. The participants had a hearing test to determine their hearing abilities, and also took a neurocognitive test to measure their cognitive abilities. The tests measured cognitive speed and attention, verbal memory and learning, and global cognitive function.
The researchers found a significant link between hearing loss and cognitive abilities. Participants with a mild hearing loss of 15 decibels had noticeable cognitive declines and lower test scores. Participants with moderate or severe hearing loss have even higher rates of cognitive decline.
How Hearing Loss Contributes to Cognitive Decline
There are a few reasons why hearing loss can lead to cognitive decline. One reason is that when you have hearing loss, you use a lot more energy trying to hear. This is also why you don’t notice mild hearing loss right away, because your brain is working very hard to help you hear the sounds around you. All this energy that goes into hearing means you don’t have energy left over for all the other tasks like focus, attention, and memory, or even understanding the words you’re hearing.
Treat Hearing Loss Early
Since even a mild hearing loss contributes to cognitive decline, it’s extremely important that you treat your hearing loss as soon as possible. Early detection and treatment will help you hear easily. Not only that, but early treatment is also better for your brain. You’ll maintain cognitive function and can avoid more rapid cognitive decline.
Contact us to schedule a hearing test and consultation. Together we’ll find out if you have a mild hearing loss. We recommend having a hearing test every 1 to 2 years so that you can easily monitor your hearing health. You’ll notice a mild hearing loss right away, and be ready to treat your hearing loss with a quality pair of hearing aids.