Can Wearing Hearing Aids Increase Your Lifespan?

Have you seen any of the alarming (yet intriguing!) studies that show how your hearing health can impact your cognition?

After reading the statistics, you might be wondering if you should make an appointment to have your hearing checked. The answer is yes! Most people prioritize getting their teeth cleaned and seeing their primary care doctor for an annual checkup but tend to neglect their hearing health.

Findings from this new study may be just the encouragement you need to schedule that hearing test: when used correctly, hearing aids may boost your lifespan.

Dr. Janet Choi from the University of Southern California studied how the regular use of hearing aids affected almost 10,000 participants with hearing loss challenges. Her findings revealed that the patients who used hearing aids regularly had a 24% lower risk of mortality compared to the group that didn’t use hearing aids at all.

Untreated hearing loss has been linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline, social isolation, and harmful falls. With the help of professional hearing care and hearing aids, you could avoid some of these risks.

How Can Hearing Aids Increase My Lifespan?

Dr. Choi’s study emphasizes that hearing aids are not the only solution for living a longer, healthier life, but people with hearing loss challenges who wear their hearing aids as directed may have a lower risk of mortality.

Despite this encouraging news, Choi’s study found that only 12% of her participants wore their hearing aids regularly outside of the study. Since hearing loss usually happens gradually, many people neglect to wear their hearing aids regularly and never adapt to using them every day.

Some people wait up to seven years after realizing they’re experiencing a hearing challenge before deciding to seek treatment. Their hesitation is usually a result of outdated stigmas associated with wearing hearing aids. Hearing aids are no longer the clunky, obvious devices of the past. Modern hearing aid technology has come so far that some hearing aids are completely invisible to the naked eye.

Missing words in conversations with loved ones, parts of songs or TV shows, and even necessary noises in rush hour traffic can be detrimental to your mental and physical health. Professional hearing assessments, regular ear cleanings, and wearing your hearing aids regularly can improve your overall health and contribute to a boost in life expectancy.

Is Professional Hearing Care Right for Me?

Professional hearing care and hearing aids can improve your day-to-day life in many ways beyond just helping you hear better.

Cornerstone Audiology’s comprehensive hearing tests investigate possible causes for hearing loss challenges, like family history, genetics, infections, noise-related accidents, and even earwax buildup. We will get an understanding of your current range of hearing and help you decide what type of professional hearing care will be best for you and your unique situation.

Almost 28 million people across America could benefit from hearing aids – but only one in five actually wear hearing aids. Being a part of the conversation again, hearing others converse in busy environments like restaurants, and listening to music while cooking or doing household chores can boost your mental health and overall happiness, too.

Professional hearing care, alongside hearing aids when needed, can make a huge difference to your life and longevity when taken seriously. Professional hearing care is for everyone!