When Silence Creeps In: The Hidden Connection Between Hearing Aids and Cognitive Function

How Do I Know If I Need A Hearing Aid and How Will That Affect Brain Health?

Struggling to hear conversations at restaurants? Constantly turning up the TV volume? These aren't just minor inconveniences—they could be early warning signs of hearing loss that directly impacts your brain health.

The connection between hearing and brain function runs deeper than most realize. As Dr. Jill Copley explains, our ears collect sound, but it's our brains that process and make meaning from what we hear. When hearing loss goes untreated, our brains work overtime trying to fill in the gaps, creating cognitive strain that research now links to accelerated cognitive decline and dementia risk.

What makes this relationship particularly concerning is its bidirectional nature. Those with hearing loss show more signs of cognitive processing issues, while people with cognitive challenges often experience more severe hearing loss. This creates a potentially dangerous cycle that early intervention can help interrupt. Quality hearing aids don't just amplify sound—they train your brain by providing clear, organized information that supports healthy cognitive function.

Ready to protect both your hearing and brain health? Contact Total Hearing Care at calling or visiting online to schedule a comprehensive evaluation. Remember, treating hearing loss early isn't just about better communication—it's an investment in your cognitive future. When you hear better, you truly live better.

To learn more about Total Hearing Care visit:
https://www.TotalHearingCare.com

Total Hearing Care
Multiple Locations Across the DFW Metroplex
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference where we
help you experience lifethrough better hearing.
Hosted by the experts at TotalHearing Care, a leading private
audiology practice serving theDFW Metroplex, we're here to
provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus and the latest
advancements in audiology.
Transform your life throughbetter hearing.

(00:23):
Let's get started.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Is your hearing slipping or is everyone actually
mumbling?
Knowing when to consider ahearing aid isn't always obvious
, but the connection betweenhearing and brain health is very
real.
In this episode, we break downthe signs that it might be time
to explore hearing aids, and howto keep your ears sharp can
help keep your brain sharp too.
Welcome back everyone.
I'm Sophia Yvette, co-hostslash producer, back in the

(01:01):
studio with Dr Jill Copley.
Dr Copley, how's it going today?
It's going great.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Thank you, Sophia.
I'm glad to be here.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Well, we're glad to have you on.
So, dr Copley, how do I know ifI need a hearing aid and how
will that affect brain health?

Speaker 3 (01:26):
So there is a lot to unpack in that question.
I think the first thing is tolook at how you're understanding
other people in your life.
Let's say you go to a restaurantand your wife tells you hey,
you didn't hear the waiter oryou're not understanding me.
That is speech understanding andbackground noise, and that's
one of the first symptoms peoplenotice about their hearing is

(01:48):
it becomes more difficult tohear at a restaurant, at a party
, at a gathering.
The other thing you mightnotice is that people are
telling you you're turning theTV up too loud and it needs to
be louder for you than it doesfor them.
One of the other things youmight notice is that someone
might tell you that you'respeaking loudly on the phone,

(02:10):
that you're having to yellbecause maybe you're not hearing
as well, and you notice that.
I'm saying that others mightnotice this.
Typically, others around youwill notice that you're not
hearing well before you even do,will notice that you're not
hearing well before you even do.
The other thing that I thinkpatients have told me is if they
are working, they notice thatthey're not hearing as well in

(02:32):
conferences or at staff meetingsand they're having to ask
people what, or they miss thingsaltogether.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Now, how does untreated hearing loss impact
cognitive function overall?

Speaker 3 (02:47):
When we do our testing, we look at how the
sound goes through your ears,but what really happens is, once
the sound goes through yourears, it gets to your brain.
The brain is actually what doesthe processing.
So we have to look closely atnot only what we call the
hearing, but also how you'recognitively processing that
information.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Are there specific types of hearing aids that are
better for brain health?

Speaker 3 (03:15):
So we want to find what we call our standard of
care for people.
Those devices are going to giveyou the best information about
your environment.
They're going to help you thebest in background noise because
, as I've said, I've mentionedbackground noise several times
that's typically where peoplewant to hear most is when

(03:38):
they're with family or whenthey're at restaurants, and so
we want the best for people toget that information to the
brain.
Now what cognitively affects usI'll just make an aside here is
we know from recent research inthe past 15 years or so there's
been a lot of long-term andlarge studies that people with

(04:02):
hearing loss tend to show moresigns of cognitive processing
issues, and people withcognitive processing issues and
people with cognitive processingissues also show more signs of
more severe hearing loss.
So the two go together and wewanna make sure and do our part
to help people alleviate some ofthose cognitive issues that

(04:23):
they might be having due totheir hearing.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
So, dr Copley, if I turn up the TV loud enough to
shake the windows, that soundslike a clue, isn't it?

Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yes, definitely, definitely.
Anytime you're having to turnthings up much louder than what
other people might need, that'sdefinitely a clue that you
should come in and have ahearing test and let us look at
things Now.
As I mentioned, other people inyour life may notice that you
have problems hearing.
Before you do, it's importantthat you bring that person with

(04:58):
you to the appointment, becausewe want to get their input and
understand what they're goingthrough, as well as your input.
The hearing loss affects notonly you but the people around
you, and we want to make surethose important people are
involved in your treatment andin the decision you get hearing
aids.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
So, Dr Copley, I'm sure listeners are curious how
do we know it's a hearing issueand not a focus issue?

Speaker 3 (05:27):
So we are able to do a cognitive screening that looks
at focus and attention and thatcan give us an idea of whether
you're having some difficultywith focus.
This is a screening, is notdiagnostic, and I want to make
sure people know that we're notdiagnosing any kind of issue

(05:49):
such as dementia, but we can seehow you're processing and how
you're focusing.
We also do a lot of counselingand sometimes we can figure out
that a person isn't focusing andmaybe that's because they can't
hear.
When you can't hear, you tendto zone out and not pay as much
attention.
So again, there's so manythings that can go together with

(06:11):
hearing loss to cause people tonotice that they're not doing
well.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
Any final words of wisdom when it comes to hearing
aids and brain health.

Speaker 3 (06:26):
It's very important that we treat the brain and
hearing aids.
People think that hearing aidsare just treating the ears, but
they're really training thebrain.
They're giving information,good information, to the brain
and, as I said, research showsthat they are very connected
hearing loss, cognitive issuesand dementia and nobody wants to

(06:47):
deal with cognitive issues ordementia, and so using the
hearing instruments research hasshown can really slow down the
progression of symptoms in thoseareas, and so it's incredibly
important to treat your hearing.
It's much easier to treat yourhearing when we're first
noticing it than to go down theroad and start to have those

(07:07):
cognitive issues.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
Love it.
Dr Copley, We'll catch you onthe next episode.
Have a fantastic rest of yourday.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
You too.
Thank you for listening to theTotal Hearing Care Difference.
If you're in the DFW Metroplexand ready to take the next step
toward better hearing, if you'rein the DFW Metroplex and ready
to take the next step towardbetter hearing, call
469-218-4853 to book anappointment or visit
TotalHearingCarecom, becausewhen you hear better, you live
better.
See you next time.