It’s no stretch of the imagination to think that all our systems are interconnected but did you know that your hearing health is correlated to your overall youth and vitality? This is particularly important in areas of life where you have to be alerted to outside stimuli quickly or must interact on a daily basis with people in the community. In the same way that physical exercise helps you keep illness and disease at bay, so too can better hearing lead to a fuller life. In fact, when you care for your ears throughout your senior years, you are making an investment in your youthful appearance and feelings.
1.) Flourish in school. When you find yourself back in the classroom after many years in the workforce, you may be at a disadvantage if you strain to hear. It’s not productive to ask the teacher to repeat herself or ask your classmates to speak up.
2.) Lower your fall and injury risk. Individuals can trip and fall more readily when they have difficulties hearing. This is due to an unstable awareness of their surroundings, thanks to the fact that you are three times more likely to fall than others with no hearing issues. This is according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
3.) Steer clear of the hospital. Being hospitalized due to falls and other problems can make you depressed because you’re not active and can’t move about on your own. Staying out of the hospital can increase your sense of vitality and worth.
4.) Keep your mind sharp as a tack. No one wants to think about it, but dementia is a very real possibility for older seniors. The National Institute on Aging has linked hearing loss with dementia, thanks to the brain shrinkage we experience as we get older.
5.) Improve your hearing while on the job. When you strain to hear, you obviously can’t pick up on important instructions or safety precautions. You certainly can’t readily participate productively in coworker discussions or meetings, which can impact your overall performance.
6.) Have a quicker reaction time. When you have a healthy hearing level, you can better react to fire alarms, sirens and even blaring car horns so you can get out of danger quickly.
7.) Maintain productive interactions. This is crucial, as hearing loss can sadly alienate people from getting the information they need to go about their daily lives. It’s tough to effectively communicate with anyone from friends and co-workers to check-out clerks and butchers when you suffer from hearing loss.
8.) Take advantage of a better social life. Interacting with others is key in staying young. Studies point to the fact that hearing impaired seniors who wear hearing aids, as well as seniors who have no hearing loss, tend to have an improved social life and sex life, along with improved mental health and independence.
9.) Lift your self confidence. Don’t fall victim to a lack in self esteem just because you have hearing loss. You may fear engaging in conversations with others and thus stay away from social situations, leading to further feelings of isolation.
9.) Increase the blood flow to your ears for good health. Exercise is great for the ears. Via aerobic activity, you send oxygen-rich blood flow to the ears which protects them from additional hearing loss.