Health Benefits of Hearing Aids

Hearing loss becomes increasingly common with age, affecting 65.3% of adults age 71 and older and 96.2% of those age 90 and older. While hearing aids are designed to help you hear better, their benefits go far beyond sound — they may improve your quality of life in a variety of ways. Continue reading to discover the different potential health benefits of hearing aids.

Lower risk of falling

The risk of falling is 2.4 times greater for older adults with hearing loss than for peers with typical hearing. Hearing and balance are closely linked, with the inner ear housing the vestibular (balance) system and the cochlea, part of the auditory system. These interconnected systems share nerve pathways that send information to the brain — meaning that a problem with one can sometimes impact the other, leading to an increased risk of falls.

Sound also supports spatial awareness. Hearing loss may cause you to miss auditory cues needed for you to map and navigate your environment. Without these auditory cues, you may not hear sounds that alert you to tripping hazards such as a pet underfoot. When hearing is diminished, the mental energy used to understand speech and other sounds increases. This higher cognitive load can divert resources away from necessary functions like balance control.

One study found that wearing hearing aids was associated with about 50% lower odds of experiencing a fall. And those who wore hearing aids for at least four hours per day had 65% lower odds of actually falling and 68% lower odds of being at risk of falls, compared to those who did not wear hearing aids. This study suggests that addressing hearing loss may be one way to help reduce falls.

Reduced listening fatigue

Hearing loss can cause everyday situations like making a phone call, sitting in a noisy restaurant or having a simple conversation feel mentally and physically taxing. The brain works hard to understand each sound it’s hearing, but when hearing is impaired, the ability to differentiate these sounds becomes increasingly difficult. As a result, those with diminished hearing have to use more brainpower when engaging in these seemingly simple tasks. Hearing aids help address increased listening effort by amplifying soft sounds and filtering loud background noise, allowing for easier processing and reduced mental strain.

Improved mental health

Losing the ability to hear is significant, and the psychological impact can be greater than you’d expect. Untreated hearing loss has been linked to sadness, depression, anxiety and paranoia. Communication challenges may cause older adults to withdraw from social activities with family and friends, resulting in loneliness and isolation. One study found that people who used hearing aids were less likely to have moderate or severe depression. Another study found that among people with moderate or severe hearing loss, those who used hearing aids had lower rates of psychological distress than those who did not. Investing in a set of hearing aids may make you feel more comfortable in social situations and allow you to engage with your family and friends in meaningful ways.

Help alleviate tinnitus

90% of people who have tinnitus also have some degree of hearing loss. For people with both tinnitus and hearing loss, hearing aids may sometimes help address tinnitus symptoms. One way hearing aids may alleviate tinnitus symptoms is through sound amplification. Hearing aids make external sounds easier to hear, which could mask tinnitus and make it less noticeable. Certain hearing aid brands may also feature built-in masking sounds designed to soothe tinnitus. While hearing aids cannot cure tinnitus, they could potentially reduce discomfort associated with tinnitus.

Increased awareness of surroundings

Environmental awareness is an important part of being careful and remaining independent. If you’re still driving, hearing aids can increase the volume of urgent traffic sounds like emergency sirens, train whistles, honking horns and approaching vehicles. This can help you remain vigilant while driving. In the event of an emergency, hearing aids can also make it easier to hear sounds like smoke detectors and fire alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and severe weather sirens. This may decrease the risk of accidents and allow you to carry out daily tasks with confidence.

Help combat cognitive decline and dementia

The connection between hearing loss and cognitive health is significant, with research linking impaired hearing to cognitive decline and dementia. And the degree of hearing loss may be important. A 12-year study out of Johns Hopkins found that mild hearing loss doubled a person’s risk of developing dementia, while moderate loss tripled the risk and severe hearing loss quintupled the risk.

What’s reassuring is that hearing loss in later life is something that can often be addressed. A meta-analysis of 50 studies concluded that adult-onset hearing loss was a potentially treatable dementia risk factor, with treatment most often involving hearing aids. There’s evidence suggesting hearing aid use may make a difference — among older adults with moderate to severe hearing impairment, those who used hearing aids had about a 32% lower prevalence of dementia compared to non-users. The ACHIEVE study found that, for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, hearing interventions, such as hearing aids, slowed cognitive decline by 48%.

Hearing aids help improve hearing, but they may also improve your overall health and well-being. Whether it reduces listening fatigue, fights cognitive decline or simply allows you to carry on a conversation with someone you love, hearing aids can help you stay present and connected to the world around you.

If someone close to you is dealing with impaired hearing, read “How to Support a Loved One Who Is Experiencing Hearing Loss” for tips on how you can offer support.

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