Everyone loves the idea of a miracle cure that helps you live longer. In fact, a quick internet search will probably return thousands of such miracle cures (if not more), each promising to help you live longer thanks to one simple trick. The vast majority of these so-called cures have no medical basis and are not backed up by the healthcare community.
However, that doesn’t mean that nothing you do can positively impact your longevity. For example, eating a healthy diet (especially one low in sodium and saturated fats) or quitting smoking can dramatically impact your expected lifespan.
The same is true of treating hearing loss by wearing your hearing aids. That’s according to a recent study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to healthy aging. So, can hearing aids help you live longer? According to this study, it’s a distinct possibility.
Is hearing loss a health risk?
The connection between your hearing health and your overall wellness is not necessarily new to researchers. For example, it has been well established that untreated hearing loss can significantly raise your risk of dementia later in life.
Many people, however, are unaware of these risks. They think about hearing loss as an isolated inconvenience, something that only impacts one very specific part of their life. But the reality is that hearing loss is more than a simple nuisance–especially when left untreated.
Is there a link between hearing aids and lifespan?
In most cases, treatment for hearing loss involves wearing hearing aids as often as possible. In this context, do hearing aids reduce the risk of early death? According to this most recent study, quite possibly. The study found that regular hearing aid use was linked to a 24% reduction in mortality risk. In other words–the people observed in the study who wore hearing aids tended to live longer.
The benefits of hearing aids
The study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity is not necessarily definitive proof that hearing aids will help you live longer (though the study does strongly suggest a relationship). However, it’s another piece of information to add onto what we already know about the benefits of hearing aids. For example, do hearing aids improve quality of life? Research suggests that yes, they do–and in several meaningful ways!
- Wearing your hearing aids can help improve cognition. This means that you (and your brain) will likely be less fatigued and healthier over time.
- Social situations can become significantly easier. This can limit the degree of social isolation you feel, improving your overall mental wellness.
- Hearing aids can help you enjoy everyday moments with friends and family–from going out to eat with colleagues to asking your grandkids about their school day.
- It’s easier to communicate with all of the people around you–so all of those daily interactions are more effective.
- You may also be more aware of your surroundings. This can help prevent accidents, injuries, and mishaps.
These are improvements to your quality of life that you’ll feel every time you wear your hearing aids. For these reasons alone, hearing aids are an important part of treating your hearing loss.
Hearing is an important part of your health and wellness
The more we learn about the connections between hearing loss and the rest of your body, the more scientists have come to understand that your hearing is an exceptionally important part of your overall health and wellness. If you have hearing loss, getting diagnosed and wearing hearing aids can significantly diminish your early mortality risks.
Seeing a hearing specialist can help you determine whether you have hearing loss and the best way to treat it.