8 consequences of untreated hearing loss
Living with untreated hearing loss
Living with untreated hearing loss affects far more than your ability to hear. It could also affect you in the following ways:
- Your mental sharpness may decline
- Your memory can be impaired
- You may feel left out of conversation
- Your social life may be impacted
- You may feel anxious
- You may experience increased mental strain
- Your income may be impacted
You can learn more in detail about each consequence below.
1. Your mental sharpness may decline
When you have difficulty hearing what’s going on around you, your mental sharpness may decline. This is due to a reduction of stimulation to the brain, which may impair its ability to process sound and recognize speech.
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Your answers indicate that you experience symptoms of hearing loss. We strongly recommend booking a hearing test at one of our clinics.
The result is an indication. An in-person hearing test can determine if you have a hearing loss.
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We recommend a hearing test
Your answers indicate that you experience some symptoms of hearing loss. We recommend booking a hearing test at one of our clinics.
The result is an indication. An in-person hearing test can determine if you have a hearing loss.
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We could not determine whether you need a hearing test
Your answers do not indicate that you experience symptoms of hearing loss. However, if you experience trouble hearing, we recommend booking a hearing test at one of our clinics.
The result is an indication. An in-person hearing test can determine if you have a hearing loss.
2. Hearing loss may impact your memory
Do you find it hard to remember what you’ve just heard? It can be difficult to comprehend and remember what’s being said when it’s a struggle to hear it in the first place.
This is because the extra cognitive resources required to listen reduce the resources available for memory and comprehension.
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3. You may feel left out of conversations
As your hearing worsens, it becomes more challenging to follow everyday conversations. You may need to ask people to repeat themselves frequently, or you might sit closer to people so that you can read their lips or watch their facial expressions in order to understand conversations.
You may even nod and pretend to understand what is being said. Jokes aren't as funny if you miss the punchline.
Sensorineural hearing loss
4. Your social life may be impacted
You may find it harder to keep in touch with your circle of friends when you have difficulty hearing. It may be particularly noticeable in certain settings, such as larger gatherings or dinner parties.
As a result, you may find yourself withdrawing from certain social events or declining invitations. In fact, research shows that seniors with untreated hearing loss are 20-24% less likely to participate in social activities.
Treatment of hearing loss
5. You may feel anxious
As your hearing ability declines, you may find it difficult to decipher and locate sounds around you. This may lead you to feel more insecure about your surroundings.
6. You may experience more fatigue
When it’s difficult to hear, communication can be exhausting. This is because you must dig deeper into your cognitive reserves to understand.
This can be particularly taxing at social events, in restaurants or in crowds where you may need to concentrate even harder to decipher what people say to you.
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7. Your earning potential may be impacted
According to a study by The Better Hearing Institute, untreated hearing difficulties can impact your earning potential.
It can account for up to $30,000 in lost income annually and can impact your performance at work. When you don't hear clearly, you risk missing key information in meetings or directives from supervisors.
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Sources
- Deal JA, Betz J, Yaffe K, et al, for the Health ABC Study Group. Hearing impairment and incident dementia and cognitive decline in older adults: the Health ABC Study J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2016; published online April 12. DOI:10.1093/gerona/glw069. 66
- Lin FR, Metter EJ, O’Brien RJ, Resnick SM, Zonderman AB, Ferrucci L. Hearing loss and incident dementia. Arch Neurol 2011; 68: 214–20. 67
- Gallacher J, Ilubaera V, Ben-Shlomo Y, et al. Auditory threshold, phonologic demand, and incident dementia. Neurology 2012; 79: 1583–90.
- Pichora-Fuller MK. (2008a) quoted in Convention News, “Celebrating 20 Years, AAA is Hear to Stay” from: Advance for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. By Jason Mosheim, speech-languagepathology-audiology.advance.web.com/editorial.
- The National Council on Aging, The Consequences of Untreated Hearing Loss in Older Persons, May 1999. https://www.ncoa.org/wp-content/uploads/NCOA-Study-1999.pdf
- Beck DL, Clark, JL. Audition matters more as cognition declines and cognition matters more as audition declines. Audiol-ogy Today. 2009;(3):48-59.
- Jung D, Bhattacharyya N. Association of hearing loss with decreased employment and income among adults in the Unit-ed States. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2012;121(12):771–775. [PubMed]
- Yuan, J., Sun, Y., Sang, S., Pham, J. H., and Kong, W. J. (2018). The risk of cognitive impairment associated with hearing function in older adults: a pooled analysis of data from eleven studies. Sci. Rep. 8:2137. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-20496-w
- Bess, F. H., & Hornsby, B. W. (2014). Commentary: listening can be exhausting--fatigue in children and adults with hearing loss. Ear and hearing, 35(6), 592–599. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5603232/
- Packer, Lisa. "Research shows severity of tinnitus is related to emotional processing." Healthy Hearing. Accessed April 16, 2019.
