What are the consequences of untreated hearing loss? A lot of people think of the social consequences – like mishearing your conversation partner at a dinner party or bugging your family by turning up the TV way too loud for their comfort. But there are other consequences you may not have considered, including danger to your physical safety.
What the Research Shows
One study, published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery in 2018, sought to uncover whether hearing difficulty is associated with a risk of accidental injury.
In order to answer this question, the researchers examined data from 232.2 million U.S. adults who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 2007 and 2015.
For the survey, participants ranked their hearing as “excellent,” “good,” “a little trouble,” “moderate trouble,” “a lot of trouble,” and “deaf.” In addition, 6.6 million of the participants indicated that they had experienced an accident in the previous three months.
Based on this data, the researchers found that:
- Those in the group with “a little trouble” hearing were 60% more likely to have experienced an injury.
- Those in the group with “moderate trouble” hearing were 70% more likely to have experienced an injury.
- Those in the group with “a lot of trouble” hearing were 90% more likely to have experienced an injury.
The authors report, “Hearing difficulty is significantly associated with accidental injury, especially injury related to work or leisure.”
Why the Link?
The researchers have several theories as to why there’s such a strong link between hearing loss and accidental injury:
- Hearing loss decreases your awareness of your surroundings, meaning you’re more likely to miss important warning signals.
- People with asymmetrical hearing loss have more difficulty identifying the sources of sounds.
- Hearing loss also causes listening fatigue, which means cognitive resources normally meant for gait and balance become reallocated to helping you hear.
- Studies show that people with hearing loss can also experience compromised physical functions.
Next Steps
If you enjoy going to Mythos 150 Fitness and have untreated hearing loss, you could be setting yourself up for an unfortunate accident. For information about hearing loss treatments or to schedule an appointment with a hearing expert, call Advanced Hearing today.