How poor hearing can affect the brain

(WYTV) – Recent studies have shown that the less you can hear, the more your brain has trouble remembering.

Imagine the effort it would take if a person had to constantly squint at a blurry chalkboard. That is similar to what a person’s brain goes through when they are losing their hearing; it’s squinting through their ears.

“As we work harder to hear, the brain is utilizing extra cognitive resources just to listen in and make sense of the words and sentences, and that can be fatiguing to the brain. Similarly, if we don’t stimulate the auditory pathway, those synapses become weaker and weaker over time. They can even begin to shrink, and that can also accelerate cognitive decline,” said Dr. Nicholas Deep, an otolaryngologist.

A cochlear implant can restore hearing in patients by directly stimulating the hearing nerve. A hearing aid makes the sound louder. A cochlear implant makes it clearer — that’s the difference, so conversation comes easier.

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