As of late, Chris has been somewhat forgetful. She missed her doctor’s appointment for the second month in a row (time to reschedule again). And before she went to bed she even forgot to run the dishwasher (looks as if she’ll be handwashing her coffee cup today). Lately she’s been allowing things fall through the cracks. Curiously, Chris doesn’t actually feel forgetful…she just feels mentally drained and fatigued constantly.
It can be difficult to recognize that feeling until it’s sneaking up on you. Often, though, the trouble isn’t your memory, despite how forgetful you may appear. The real issue is your hearing. And that means you can considerably improve your memory by wearing one little device.
How to Improve Your Memory And General Cognitive Function
So, getting a hearing test is the first step to enhance your memory so you will remember that dentist appointment and not forget anyone’s name at the next meeting. A standard hearing screening will be able to find out if you have hearing loss and how severe any impairment might be.
Chris hasn’t detected any symptoms of hearing loss yet so she hesitates to make an appointment. She can hear in crowded rooms somewhat well enough. And she’s never had a hard time hearing any of her team members at work.
But she may have some amount of hearing loss even though she hasn’t recognized any symptoms yet. In fact, one of the first symptoms of hearing impairment is loss of memory. And it all has to do with brain strain. It works like this:
- Slowly and virtually imperceptibly, your hearing begins to fade.
- However mild, your ears start to detect a lack of sound input.
- The sounds that you do hear, need to be boosted and interpreted which causes your brain to work extra hard.
- You can’t notice any real difference but in order to comprehend sound your brain needs to work extra hard.
Your brain only has so much processing power which can really be dragged down by that kind of strain. So you don’t have as much mental energy for things like, well, memory or for other cognitive functions.
Hearing Loss And Dementia
When memory loss is extreme, the result could be dementia. And dementia and hearing loss do have a link, though what the precise cause-effect relationship is, continues to be somewhat uncertain. Still, there is an elevated risk of cognitive decline in those who have neglected hearing loss, which can start as memory loss and eventually (over the years) become more extreme problems.
Wearing Hearing Aids Can Help You Prevent Fatigue
This is why it’s essential to manage your hearing loss. As stated in one study, 97.3% of those with hearing loss who wore hearing aids for at least 18 months showed a noticeable stabilization or improvement in their cognitive functions.
Similar results have been noted in several other studies. It’s unquestionably helpful to wear hearing aids. Your general cognitive function improves when your brain doesn’t need to struggle as hard to hear. Sure, a hearing aid isn’t an absolute cure, cognitive decline or memory problems can be a complicated mixture of causes and variables.
Memory Loss Can be The First Signal of Hearing Loss
This type of memory loss is mostly due to mental fatigue and is normally temporary. But that can change if the fundamental issues remain un-addressed.
So if you’re recognizing some loss of memory, it can be an early warning of hearing loss. You should make an appointment with your hearing specialist as soon as you detect these symptoms. As soon as your underlying hearing problems are dealt with, your memory should go back to normal.
And your hearing will most likely get better also. A hearing aid can help stem the decline in your hearing. In this way, your total wellness, not only your memory, could be improved by these little devices.