Memory Loss & Psychological Distress with Hearing Loss

Memory Loss & Psychological Distress with Hearing Loss

Thinking back to a specific period of your life where you felt sadness, was it ever triggered by a traumatic event? This could include losing a job, a loved one, suffering a breakup, divorce, or injury. While many people process these difficult events and can move forward others are left with lingering psychological distress. Psychological distress is a general term used to describe unpleasant feelings or emotions that impact your level of functioning. This occurs when depression becomes severe enough to impact your ability to function throughout the day. For many this means not being able to get out of bed, the loss of focus at work, and the loss of enjoyment of social interactions. 

Identifying the Source of Psychological distress and Memory Issues in Seniors

For seniors, the process of aging can be a difficult one. Coupled with the understanding that we can’t return to earlier days, traumatic events can cause not only psychological distress but memory issues as well. Our ability to remember the past is what links us to our families, our friends, our community, and even our sense of self. However, as we age, subtle changes in memory occur naturally as part of the aging process. In some instances, these changes occur sooner than anticipated or faster than expected and can signal significant cognitive decline leading to dementia. It is often difficult to identify if these issues are occurring due to other health conditions such as medication side effects, sleep issues, cardiovascular disease, thyroid disease, dehydration, vitamin deficiency, or even hearing loss.

Hearing Loss’s Effect on Well Being

While hearing loss is an issue that starts in the ears, the entire body and mind are deeply connected and affected. Hearing loss impedes our ability for our brain to receive audio signals. This can make conversation strained, and social situations exhausting. It is all too common for people with hearing loss to suffer from chronic depression, anxiety, and loneliness as years of communication issues build-up, causing isolation. Unaddressed hearing loss also takes a significant toll on the brain, which is forced to work overtime to follow simple instructions or even small talk. Studies have even linked the degree of hearing loss to higher risks of memory problems and dementia. 

Studies on the Impact of Hearing Loss 

A Japanese study conducted from 2016 to 2019 sampled 137,723 people aged 65 years or older who were still living at home (vs. assisted living). At the start of the study each participant was not diagnosed with dementia and 9% (12,389) reported hearing loss. The results were shocking – by the end of the study, 37.7% of participants with hearing loss reported memory loss as well, while only 5.2% without hearing loss had memory loss. 39.7% of those with hearing loss also reported psychological distress, while 19.3% of those without hearing loss did. This large study demonstrated substantial mental and emotional impacts of hearing loss in seniors.

Connecting Hearing Loss, Psychological Distress and Memory Issues

Those who experience hearing loss can feel stress, anxiety, frustration, and even depression as a direct result of their lost hearing ability. While many other factors can cause this in seniors, the Japanese study illuminated the higher risk factor with hearing loss. In the case of cognitive decline, it is common for this to begin as soon as 45 years old. This isn’t to say that you won’t be able to think clearly, but that the height of your brain’s cognitive functioning, memory, and speed all start to slow a bit more. However other studies have shown that even a mild case of hearing loss can double the risk of dementia. 

Treating Hearing Loss for a Higher Quality of Life

Many factors can decrease your risk of dementia – treating hearing loss is only one of them. The more we can do regularly to lower our risk such as staying active, eating healthy, and keeping up with our health, the better. If you or someone you love is suffering from psychological distress and memory issues it can never hurt to test for hearing loss. The first step is to schedule a hearing appointment. We can help you address any hearing issues which may be present and actively help to improve your quality of life for years to come.