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Cognition is the manner your brain processes introspections. Scientists have long studied the relationships between cognition and hearing loss—particularly in older adults. However, the public should also know the links between brain function, hearing loss, and mental health.
Hearing Loss Effects on Daily Life
People with hearing loss often separate themselves from others to evade stressful situations in which they can't hear well.
The combination of social isolation, [demands on the brain], and brain atrophy from hearing loss may provoke downstream [changes to the brain] that could impact an individual's daily life," Nicholas Reed, AuD, tells WebMD Connect to Care. These adaptations may make daily tasks more difficult.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, seclusion can negatively impact your health—it can increase the risk of poor eating and sleeping patterns, depression, smoking, and alcohol use.
But not all the news is grim. Hearing loss treatment can decrease negative impacts on your mental health. A 2016 study published by The Laryngoscope found that hearing aids and cochlear implants significantly enhanced mental health and quality of life for all participants.
Effects of Hearing Loss on the Brain
There are decades of investigation exploring the links between hearing loss and cognitive impairment—issues with recollection and confusion can be the first stages of dementia. Many scientists have investigated the connections between age-related cognition and hearing loss.
One factor that could define the links between hearing loss and cognition is that sound and cognitive processing occur in the same brain areas.
The temporal lobe is the area of the brain that processes auditory information and short-term memory storage. It is also the first area simulated by Alzheimer's disease, so hardship listening can potentially lead to progressive deterioration.
Because some regions of the brain do not process sound as efficiently when there is hearing loss, these areas may also have an increased chance of atrophy or squandering away. The lack of useful information in the brain can result in the cells being under-stimulated and the brain degenerating, as it no longer has to perform to comprehend sound.
Brain-based Exercises
Amptify, the first digital program for hearing loss, offers to those desiring hearing loss resolutions for patients and those who wish to improve their hearing. This hearing loss therapy consists of diagnostics and hearing aid distribution with no follow-up hearing loss therapy, aid, or counseling — all of which are clinical best practices.
Amptify is a unique program developed by Nancy Tye Murray, Ph.D. of Washington University. This program uses different games on smartphones, laptops, or tablets. You can use this program anytime, anywhere, and for any amount of time. The games are engineered to be fun and challenging, with each precise targeting skill. The games become more formidable as you improve.
Optimal hearing includes two parts: our ears and our brain. Amptify reinforces what we do with what we hear. Think of this as training for our brains through aural.
Recommended Digital Therapy
Amptify users experience a merging of digital fitness and aural restoration that augments their hearing devices and delivers a scientifically-backed and patient-proven treatment for hearing loss.
Sponsored parties can access Amptify by downloading the iOS or Android apps, which include clinically validated aural and cognitive exercise video games. These exercises can help develop speech perception skills, enhance listening confidence, and improve conversational fluency.
Amptify players also acquire access to interactive hearing health classes, a supervised peer-support community, and a certified Amptify Hearing Health Coach. Trainers (or coaches) provide one-on-one help and motivation, track participants' weekly exercise and curriculum improvement, and deliver personalized service and recommendations on enhancing and advancing each participant's hearing goals.
Is Amptify Available?
Amptify was made available for general use on March 21, 2021. Enrollment is easy. Amptify provides brochures to clinics and a "cheat sheet" about how to describe the program. We can help you enrol in the program.
The Listening Lab Malaysia provides free listening rehabilitation sessions with selected hearing aid model purchases. Its goal is to meet the needs of individuals seeking faster improvement through their hearing aids. We also recommend exercises with your hearing aid device(s) to help improve your listening skills. We have been offering quality hearing care services to hearing loss patients, including a professional hearing test and a lifetime aftercare program. Visit any of our branches to find out more about this service.
