The Link Between Life Expectancy And Hearing Loss

When it comes to managing health conditions, it’s wise to consider how they might affect our day-to-day living, overall wellbeing and general health over the course of a lifetime. Undiagnosed conditions can cause distress but can also interfere with the comfort and quality of life someone may experience.

A study conducted by Duke-NUS Medical School revealed that communication issues, depression and cognitive decline happen faster in those who experience undiagnosed hearing loss, particularly if combined with vision problems and even more acutely if encountered in an aging population.

Of course, there are several considerations to keep in mind here when it comes to establishing how this affects life expectancy. The statistical averages here are applied to a broad set of people, as someone with hearing loss may just experience a long and fruitful life, but the likelihood of them doing so on a macro scale is reduced if this condition isn’t managed.

In this post we’ll discuss a few means by which an undiagnosed and untreated hearing condition can influence your quality of life, and how that can ultimately link to a denigrated life expectancy:

Generalized Safety Issues

Of course, those who experience hearing loss will be less able to rely on their hearing for day-to-day safety. This might involve crossing the road, utilizing heavy machinery, driving safely and being aware of the road environment surrounding them or simple interpersonal safety while out in public.

While many of these issues may not apply to your daily life that intensively, a combination of factors reducing your safety can add up to putting you more at risk, especially compared to another person. For this reason, it’s essential that you have your hearing inspected by an audiologist should you suspect hearing loss.

Mental Health Effects

Undiagnosed hearing loss is linked to a range of mental health effects, such as depression, exhaustion, confusion and a need to self-isolate from social affairs. This is because unmanaged hearing loss can lead to difficulty connecting in a social environment, or finding it hard to be dynamic and engaged with the world around us.

It’s not hard to see how that kind of feeling can lead to some people experiencing mental health difficulties, perhaps serving as the catalyst for greater conditions to develop. Thankfully, there are millions of people living great lives, taking care of their mental health, despite encountering some form of hearing loss. This goes to show that finding a diagnosis and eventual treatment is a great means of unlocking your quality of life, despite the additional need for care you may now wish to engage in. 

Day-to-Day Confidence

Self-esteem is an essential component of living a quality life and getting out of your comfort zone accordingly. Unfortunately, those with undiagnosed hearing loss can find themselves struggling to be as active and interested as they may have been, due to the reduced capacity of hearing and engaging with the world they may have been part of.

For instance, activities that some of us take for granted such as listening to music clearly, playing in a band, engaging in sport with team communication or simply spending time with family members can feel dampened thanks to this condition.

Thankfully, this is not a permanent sentence. Even extensive hearing loss can be thoroughly mitigated by the use of competent hearing aids, frequent checkups and protocols by which to postpone or prevent further hearing issues. Even those with full-scale hearing loss manage to live full and worthwhile lives as integral parts of their community, and so no matter how you feel your hearing has been affected, optimism should be the most rational outlook.

How Can You Resolve or Maintain Your Hearing Loss Condition for the Better?

It’s essential to ensure that you see a qualified audiologist when suspecting that hearing loss is a factor in your life. Speaking to your doctor and visiting a worthwhile audiologist and hearing aid service could be the first step in preventing a drop in quality of life.

Ascent Audiology & Hearing stand as a fantastic service, both willing and ready to help those with a free hearing aid guide, a stellar hearing survey and essential appointments that can help you begin your journey towards improved hearing for good.

You can learn more about our practice by calling us today at (360) 515-9948 to speak to one of our staff members. This way, you can focus on the proper support you deserve, here and now.