Because hearing is critical for connecting with others, untreated hearing loss can significantly impact your quality of life.

Hearing connects us deeply

Hearing is one of our most important senses, so any loss of hearing can significantly affect how we perceive the world. It is the main sense we use for communicating and connecting with other people.

Why is hearing loss important?

There are many reasons why hearing is important for us throughout our lives.

• Our hearing lets us communicate with others in a way that is quick and full of details
• Hearing gives us rich information about what is happening around us and alerts us to danger
• Hearing helps us relax, such as by listening to music or enjoying the sounds of nature
  

What is hearing loss?

Social effects of hearing loss

Hearing loss is more than just the loss of your hearing abilities. It can impact our ability to effectively communicate with those around us and participate in daily life activities. This can affect us socially in many ways, such as:

• Avoiding family gatherings
• No longer participating in conversations
• Avoiding going out to places, especially if they are noisy
• Avoiding telephone calls
• Avoiding friends

Emotional impacts of hearing loss

Hearing loss can have a significant impact on your emotional well-being. Not hearing or understanding what is being said due to hearing loss causes frustration and even anger in some people. It can also be embarrassing and provoke anxiety.

Due to the difficulty of communicating, people can withdraw from their family and friends and other social interactions. This can have many emotional effects, such as loneliness and depression, and even lead to cognitive impacts.

“Blindness cuts us off from things, but deafness cuts us off from people.”

Helen Keller

Hearing loss and mental health

Researchers are constantly increasing our knowledge of why hearing is important. We now know that hearing plays a vital part in mental health because it helps people remain active and engaged with the world. In turn, this helps people to join in with healthy activities such as socializing and exercising.

The brain also needs exercise to keep working effectively. If left untreated, hearing loss causes the brain to receive less stimulation and reduces its processing ability. This can cause a decline in your cognitive skills, such as:

• Increased rate of memory impairment
• Mental fatigue
• Reduced processing ability
• Increased rate of cognitive decline

Is hearing loss a sign of dementia?

Hearing loss is not a sign of dementia. However, scientists have shown that if hearing loss is left untreated, it can increase the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The reason for this is not known, but experts suspect it is because good hearing keeps the brain active and stimulated.

What level of hearing loss requires a hearing aid?

People can have slight hearing difficulties without it being categorized as mild hearing loss. The degree of hearing loss that different people can have varies widely, ranging from mild hearing loss to profound. Generally, we recommend that people get a hearing aid if they are diagnosed with hearing loss that is mild or more significant. However, it is always a hearing care professional who makes hearing tests and fits people with hearing aids.

How do you treat hearing loss?

The treatments for hearing loss will vary depending on its cause. Permanent hearing loss is often treated with a hearing device such as a hearing aid or an implant. Your type and degree of hearing loss will determine which devices are most suitable for you.

Hearing aids
The most common devices used to treat hearing loss are hearing aids. They are small electronic devices worn behind or in the ear which amplify sound to make it louder and more precise. To learn more about the different hearing aids and options for you, see this article on hearing aids. Your hearing care specialist can help you select the best hearing aid for your needs.

Implants
In some cases, hearing aids are not enough. Then, an implant might be used instead. The implant is fitted to the patient during an operation. Common types of implants include middle ear implants, cochlear implants, and bone-anchored hearing aids.

Assistive listening device
Assistive listening devices are devices used to help improve communication or hearing in everyday situations. They can be used alone or in combination with specific hearing devices. Some typical assistive listening devices are TV adapters which send the sound directly to the hearing aid or headphones, FM systems used to improve communication in noisy places, and smartphones that let the user stream telephone calls or other sounds directly to the hearing aids.