How Healthy Hearing Supports Healthy Brain Function

November marks National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and here at Hear Care Rhode Island, we want to draw attention both to this devastating disease and its relation to our specialty, hearing loss.

While it is commonly thought that hearing loss happens in the ears, the reality is that our auditory processing happens in the brain. Our ears do play an important part in the process – but the majority of how we receive and recognize sound occurs in our brains.

As such, there is a direct link between our cognitive abilities and hearing abilities. In fact, a number of studies over the past decade have indicated that untreated hearing loss could lead to a decline in cognitive abilities.

Here, we explore the conditions of Alzheimer’s and dementia, and how they are related to hearing loss.

Alzheimer’s disease, known commonly as Alzheimer’s, is “a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior.” Dementia is the general, umbrella term for “memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.” Alzheimer’s makes up 60% to 80% of cases of dementia.

Though it is often thought of as a disease that affects the elderly, in reality Alzheimer’s is actually not a normal part of again. Age and Alzheimer’s have been linked, in part, because the majority of people who experience it tend to be over the age of 65. Early-onset Alzheimer’s appears in people under the age of 65.

As a progressive disease, Alzheimer’s will worsen over time, with challenges with memory, thinking, and behavior intensifying over time. In the later stages of Alzheimer’s, individuals are unlikely to carry on conversation or respond to the environment around them. In the US, Alzheimer’s is the sixth most common cause of death. On average, people live an average of eight years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Unfortunately, there is not yet a cure for Alzheimer’s. However, there are treatments, such as medication, that can slow down the progression of dementia and improve the quality of life for people who experience Alzheimer’s. Other common treatments include a good diet, physical exercise, social engagement, and other interventions. Alzheimer’s affects 50% of families in the United States.

Early symptoms of Alzheimer’s may be difficult to identify. For this reason, Alzheimer’s usually isn’t identified until its later stages.  Over time, as Alzheimer’s worsen, the symptoms will be more apparent: disorientation, mood and behavior changes, deepening confusion about events, time, and place; unfounded suspicion about family, friends, and professional caregivers; more serious memory loss and behavior changes; and difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking (Source: Alzheimer’s Association).  

So how is this related to hearing loss, you ask? There isn’t a direct link between Alzheimer’s and hearing loss, but there have been a number of groundbreaking studies that link untreated hearing loss to the potential of developing dementia – which in turn increases the risk for Alzheimer’s.

Unlike Alzheimer’s and memory loss, presbycusis is a common part of the aging experience. One-third of people over the age of 65 experience some form of hearing loss, while 50% of people over the age of 75 five experience hearing loss. Prebycusis is age-related hearing loss, though it is not the only form. Noise-induced hearing loss, which occurs due to exposure to loud sounds over a gradual period of time, is also just as harmful if left untreated.

One of the most important studies in this field comes from Johns Hopkins University, with lead researcher Dr. Frank Lin. Dr. Lin and team have published a number of studies linking untreated hearing loss and dementia. According to Dr. Lin, “The general perception is that hearing loss is a relatively inconsequential part of aging” but his work has suggested otherwise. In fact, they have found that hearing health and brain health are deeply connected.

In two different studies (2011 and 2013), Dr. Lin and team found that “those with hearing loss severe enough to interfere with conversation were 25 percent more likely than those with normal hearing to see their cognitive abilities diminish” or, in other words, “hearing loss seemed to speed up age-related cognitive decline.” They also found that “the worse the initial hearing loss [of participants], the more likely the person was to develop dementia. Compared with people of normal hearing, those with moderate hearing loss had triple the risk.”

What can be done? The good news is that hearing loss is treatable and in treating it, you’ll begin to experience the significant benefits very quickly. Untreated hearing loss provides our brains with muddled sound signals, which forces our brains to work harder than they should on hearing, thus taking away resources from other areas. Over time, hearing loss could create a heavy cognitive load for the brain.

By treating hearing loss with hearing aids, you provide your brain with clearer sound signals, allowing it to distribute its resources evenly to different areas that require attention – balance, memory, conversation, etc. Furthermore, treating hearing loss keeps you connected to your friends, loved ones, and activities – which combats social isolation and reduces the risk for developing Alzheimer’s and dementia.

There’s no reason to live with untreated hearing loss. Take the opportunity this month, National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, to assess your hearing. Visit us at Hear Care in Rhode Island for a comprehensive hearing test.