Terri Ramsey Beavers Hearing loss is a frustrating ailment that affects a large percentage of the population. If you don’t currently deal with it, then you wouldn’t know that it comes with side effects that go beyond not being able to hear.
For example, any amount of hearing loss will significantly affect the probability of cognitive decline. This means that there’s a connection between the two that suggests hearing loss will lead to reduced cognitive abilities.
The thought of cognitive decline is surely terrifying, but it isn’t even the only side effect of hearing loss. There are several others as well, which you’ll want to know about for encouragement to seek prompt treatment should your hearing ever become impaired.
Let’s take a look at a few of the most significant impacts of hearing loss to get you started.
Cognitive Decline
One of the worst side effects of hearing loss is cognitive decline.
This applies, particularly to older people. When you get hearing loss as a natural result of aging, it means that cognitive decline is a potential follow-up.
The reason for this is because your cognitive skills have a connection to your auditory ability. As your auditory skills decline, so too does the part of your brain responsible for cognition. This means that there is less brain activity in the overlapping areas.
The most common product of this is memory and thinking problems, but it can also lead to dementia. Oddly enough, some of the symptoms of dementia and hearing loss do align so this can cause some confusion.
If you’re feeling a little slower or struggling to understand things, then it might be because of your hearing loss.
Mental Health Struggles
Hearing loss will almost surely lead to mental health struggles.
As you may be aware, dealing with hearing loss is incredibly difficult. Life will never be quite the same and it’s hard to accept that you’ve lost something that you once took for granted.
Because of this, it’s easy for many people with hearing loss to also struggle with their mental health. Feelings of anxiety, depression, and anger are all common and can be quite consuming.
To picture this, remember a time that you lost something that you cared deeply about. Think something like a childhood pet or an older family member. Losing your hearing is similar to this loss, except it has the added impact of affecting your life every day.
Hearing loss is an ongoing ailment, meaning that it will always be there impacting you. This will weigh heavily on your mental state and make it hard to stay upbeat.
Remaining positive can certainly be a challenge, but it’s vital for you to make the most of your life.
Strained Relationships
There’s also a great chance that it will cause strained relationships.
If you’re suffering from hearing loss, then you’ll naturally tend to avoid conversations. Listening to someone speak is difficult and tiring, so avoiding it altogether is a much more attractive alternative.
Unfortunately, doing this will negatively impact your relationships. You won’t want to meet people in person and this can limit your contact with them.
Furthermore, you’re also likely to be in a worse mood when others around. If you’re dealing with the mental health challenges of hearing loss, then they won’t go away just because you’re around a good friend.
All of this places a great strain on your connections and relationships. It’s not that people don’t want to be around you, but the way you approach hearing loss can make you unintentionally indifferent to the people around you.
This is why prompt treatment is essential to keeping your relationships intact.
Sabotaged Career Success
Lastly, hearing loss often results in sabotaged career success.
There are three primary ways that this happens. This includes a lack of education opportunities, being passed up in the workplace, and self-limiting.
When you’re suffering from hearing loss, your ability to learn is also likely impacted. Hearing is a significant aspect of learning and having this impaired means that cognition is delayed. As a result, you might do poorly in school and avoid seeking higher education.
In the workplace, hearing loss can also limit your potential. On average, people who suffer from hearing loss tend to make less than their peers who don’t struggle with it.
Unfortunately, hearing loss is associated with a negative image and this can make an employer value another employee over you. This is not at all fair and it might not even be a conscious decision.
The last part of this is self-limitation. You might actively choose to avoid specific careers because of your difficulties. Additionally, you may refrain from pursuing promotions and new opportunities for fear of being rejected.
You can still have a great career with hearing loss, but it will require you to work much harder.
Closing Thoughts
There’s no question that hearing loss has serious consequences, but there are also side effects of dealing with this ailment. These are complications that add another layer to frustration and constantly remind you of what you lost.
A few notable side effects of hearing loss include cognitive decline, mental health struggles, strained relationships, and sabotaged career success. Not all people with hearing loss will experience them, but the likelihood increases when someone does suffer from it.
While hearing loss might be daunting to approach, you can’t ignore your health. You can get treatment that limits the impact of both the main and side effects of hearing loss. Take advantage of this to bring some joy back to your life!
