Chris has been somewhat forgetful as of late. She forgot her doctor’s appointment for the second month in a row (time to reschedule again). And she even overlooked running the dishwasher before bedtime (looks like she’ll be handwashing her coffee cup this morning). Things have been slipping through the cracks. Oddly, Chris doesn’t actually feel forgetful…she just feels mentally drained and exhausted constantly.
Only when that feeling is sneaking up on you, will you start to recognize it. Frequently, though, the trouble isn’t your memory, in spite of how forgetful you might appear. The real issue is your hearing. And that means you can significantly improve your memory by using one small device.
How to Enhance Your General Cognitive Function And Memory
So, having a hearing test is the first measure to enhance your memory so you will not forget that eye exam and not forget anyone’s name in the next meeting. If you have hearing loss a hearing exam will let you know how severe your impairment is.
Chris hesitates, though, because she hasn’t noted any signs or symptoms of hearing loss. She can hear in noisy rooms fairly well enough. And she’s never had a tough time hearing any of her team members at work.
But she may have some amount of hearing loss even though she hasn’t observed any symptoms yet. As a matter of fact, memory loss is often one of the very first detectable symptoms of hearing loss. And it all involves brain strain. Here’s how it works:
- Slowly and nearly imperceptibly, your hearing starts to diminish.
- Your ears detect a lack of sound, however slight.
- Your brain starts working a little harder to translate and amplify the sounds you are able to hear.
- You can’t notice any real difference but in order to make sense of sound your brain has to work extra hard.
That amount of continuous strain can be really difficult on your brain’s limited resources. So things such as memory and cognitive function get pushed to the back.
Dementia And Hearing Loss
If you take memory loss to its most obvious extremes, you may end up dealing with something like dementia. And hearing loss and dementia do have a link, though there are a number of other factors at work and the cause and effect relationship is still rather uncertain. Still, there is an increased risk of cognitive decline with those who have neglected hearing loss, which can start as memory loss and ultimately (over the years) develop into more severe issues.
Wearing Hearing Aids Can Help You Avoid Fatigue
That’s why dealing with your hearing loss is necessary. According to one study, 97.3% of individuals who suffer from hearing loss who wore hearing aids for at least 18 months showed a significant stabilization or improvement in their cognitive abilities.
A variety of other studies have demonstrated similar benefits. It’s definitely helpful to wear hearing aids. Your overall cognitive function improves when your brain doesn’t have to struggle as hard to hear. Memory loss and issues with cognitive function can have lots of intricate factors and hearing aids aren’t always a magic bullet.
The First Symptom of Hearing Loss is Often Memory Loss
This type of memory loss is mostly due to mental exhaustion and is normally not permanent. But if the underlying concerns are not addressed, that could change.
Memory loss, then, can be somewhat of an early warning system. You should set up an appointment with your hearing specialist as soon as you detect these symptoms. As soon as your underlying hearing problems are addressed, your memory should return to normal.
As an added benefit, your hearing health will most likely get better, too. The decline in your hearing will be slowed considerably by using hearing aids. These little devices, in this way, will improve your overall health not only your hearing.