Rethinking hearing loss and its impact on overall health

As the population of the Western world ages, there’s a growing focus on how we can all grow old well and the steps we can take to live healthier longer lives. Maintaining cognitive health is increasingly recognized as a key component of healthy aging and longevity. However, conversations within the hearing loss community about the connection between cognitive health and hearing loss can be complex and confusing. This can lead to unnecessary fear about brain health when the individual might simply be experiencing hearing loss. Therefore, it's vital that people are properly informed and educated. It's important we work with the community to shift perceptions from solely focusing on cognitive decline itself, to exploring what a person is currently experiencing, as these experiences may be signs of hearing loss.

For many people experiencing hearing loss, the brain is having to work much harder to discern what is being said and to stay present during a conversation. Hearing a word accurately the first time allows the brain to discount other possibilities. But if a person can’t hear every sound clearly, the brain has to hold open all the possibilities until the context makes the word clear. This is an everyday challenge for people with hearing loss. All too often these challenges result in cognitive overload which can have significant repercussions on their quality of life by increasing stress, anxiety and burnout.

While many of the symptoms of hearing loss and memory loss are similar, hearing loss also has an impact on our other senses – surprisingly taste and smell, for example – as well as our balance, and, perhaps inevitably, on our connection to the world and to others.

While cognition is a focal point of conversation within the hearing loss industry, further research is essential to explore nuanced and balanced perspectives. We also need to recognize that hearing loss impacts other aspects of overall health and wellbeing such as quality of life. Blake Cadwell, co-founder of Soundly, himself a hearing aid wearer believes there is a more important conversation about the social isolation hearing loss can bring. For him, this is the more important point – the loss of something as simple as being able to hear a family member or being able to meet a friend at a busy bar. As long as the conversation around hearing loss is focused on cognitive decline, explains Cadwell, the wider point of how hearing loss leads to a reduced quality of life is being missed. “People might wonder if they’re doing long term damage to the brain. But my question is: Are you opting out of things in your life?” 

At the core, says Cadwell, being able to hear is about helping people communicate, stay connected and be empowered to live their life to the fullest. “If I don't wear hearing aids, I can't interact. But when I’m wearing devices, I have a greater sense of confidence.”

We recognize the need to educate people on the full story around how hearing loss impacts health and overall wellbeing including cognitive, physical and emotional health. We also acknowledge the complexities of the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline and encourage people to refer to the clinical research that indicates some connections.

GN Hearing’s BrainWorks initiative is spearheading research into hearing health and cognitive function, and they are a leading partner in LISTEN TO THIS™, a global initiative inviting healthcare partners, policy makers, patient organizations and others to drive a new hearing health movement. The initiatives led by GN aim to cultivate a positive environment where people are empowered through knowledge and resources to seek support for their hearing health so they can stay connected with the world around them. 

Find out more about hearing health and cognitive function at listentothis.com.