Impacts of Untreated Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is incredibly common, affecting about 48 million Americans. Although many people are hearing impaired, they still wait to seek treatment. When left untreated, hearing loss has many negative effects that can impact your mental and emotional well-being.
Studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a number of emotional health conditions, including:
- Irritability, negativism, and anger
- Fatigue, stress, and depression
- Avoidance or withdrawal from social situations
- Reduced alertness
Because hearing loss can cause you to isolate yourself from other people and makes it harder for your brain to hear certain sounds, you can experience a decline in your cognitive abilities.
Hearing and Cognition
When left untreated, hearing loss has been linked to cognitive decline and even dementia. If you have hearing loss, even if it is a mild loss, it’s important to be proactive by considering hearing aids. Hearing aids will help you hear in complex listening environments, give you the confidence to rejoin the conversation, and will provide your brain with the sounds it needs to be healthy.
Types of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can be experienced in varying degrees, such as mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe or profound. In addition to the degree of loss, there are also different types of hearing loss. There are three main types of hearing loss.
Sensorineural
Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss experienced. This type of loss occurs when there is damage to the cochlea or the hearing nerve. This can also occur naturally due to old age, as the hair cells in the inner ear (which are partly responsible for your hearing) begin to deteriorate. Sensorineural hearing loss responds well to hearing aids.
Conductive
Conductive hearing loss occurs when sounds are not transmitted, or conducted, properly through the ear canal, eardrum, and middle ear. This type of loss can be caused by impacted earwax, ear infection, fluid in the middle ear, eardrum perforation, or trauma to the head or ear. Conductive hearing loss is treated surgically or with antibiotics depending on the cause.
Mixed
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. First the conductive portion will need to be cleared up, either with antibiotics or surgery. Then we can help you manage the sensorineural portion with hearing aids.
Signs of Hearing Loss
Unless you have lost your hearing suddenly due to loud noise exposure, most hearing losses occur gradually. You may have lost your hearing over the course of a few years, so it may be difficult to realize you can’t hear certain sounds. If you have experienced a combination of the following, you may have hearing loss and should visit our hearing center for a hearing check.
- People seem to mumble around you
- You often ask people to repeat themselves
- You have a difficult time hearing people when you are in a noisy environment (such as a restaurant)
- You have trouble hearing if the speaker isn’t looking at you
- It’s hard to follow conversations
- You hear a ringing in your ears
- You have a family history of hearing loss
- You feel fatigued after conversations
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1180 Karin Street
Vineland, NJ 08360
F (856) 205-0496
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