Why It’s Important To Protect Your Hearing As You Age – And What Experts Suggest

A recent study examined nan imaginable nexus betwixt proceeding nonaccomplishment and dementia, suggesting that treating proceeding nonaccomplishment tin thief nan brain. Although nan imaginable relationship is still being untangled, study co-author and audiologist Nicholas Reed advises prioritizing proceeding wellness regardless.

“There are already much than capable established benefits related to proceeding care,” says Reed, a module personnel of nan NYU Langone Health Optimal Aging Institute.

What’s particularly important astir supporting proceeding wellness is nan effect it has connected keeping group engaged successful nan world, Reed explains. Here’s what experts urge successful bid to support your proceeding arsenic you age.

How does proceeding nonaccomplishment occur?

Hearing nonaccomplishment tin consequence from a wide range of familial and biology factors, specified arsenic chronic diseases and smoking. Some besides acquisition age-related proceeding loss, called presbycusis.

Hearing nonaccomplishment is “not astir volume”, Reed explains. Instead, it’s a clarity issue. We suffer our proceeding astatine different frequencies astatine different rates, which tin make sounds garbled.

There is simply a inclination to “normalize proceeding nonaccomplishment arsenic we property to immoderate extent”, says Reed. Other conditions tin look much pressing, and proceeding nonaccomplishment becomes a debased priority. There tin beryllium “downstream effects” successful a healthcare discourse because proceeding nonaccomplishment tin inhibit patient-provider communication, says Reed.

What is nan narration betwixt proceeding nonaccomplishment and dementia?

Early investigation suggests that proceeding nonaccomplishment is associated pinch increased cognitive decline and an accrued consequence of caller cases of dementia, though further studies are needed to understand this connection. Researchers person not, however, recovered a cause-and-effect narration betwixt proceeding nonaccomplishment and dementia.

Reed and his colleagues wanted to calculate nan number of cases of dementia location could beryllium successful a organization if a imaginable consequence factor, successful this lawsuit proceeding loss, was eliminated. They utilized a sample of astir 3,000 adults aged 66 to 90 and recovered 32% of nan dementia consequence successful nan sample group was perchance associated pinch audiometric proceeding nonaccomplishment (hearing nonaccomplishment measured done testing).

According to nan authors, these results propose that treating proceeding nonaccomplishment whitethorn hold nan onset of dementia successful immoderate older adults. However, this investigation cannot found whether proceeding nonaccomplishment causes dementia, explains co-author Jason Smith, a postdoctoral interrogator astatine nan University of North Carolina.

One imaginable logic proceeding nonaccomplishment is associated pinch cognitive changes is that it tin lead to much societal isolation, which whitethorn strain nan encephalon and impact memory, says Reed. Another mentation is that because auditory signals stimulate nan brain, nan deficiency of stimulation caused by proceeding nonaccomplishment tin lead to accelerated brain atrophy.

If proceeding problems are linked to an accrued consequence of dementia, are location ways to reduce that risk? An influential 2020 Lancet report recommended nan usage of proceeding immunodeficiency and protecting ears from excessive sound exposure. A 2023 analysis recovered a relationship betwixt nan usage of devices for illustration proceeding immunodeficiency and a decreased consequence of cognitive decline. However, further investigation is needed.

What tin you do to forestall proceeding loss?

Hearing nonaccomplishment is not an inevitable portion of ageing. But definite factors, specified arsenic age-related changes to nan soul receptor and auditory nerve, arsenic good arsenic genetics, are beyond our control.

We tin still mitigate nan likelihood of harm from different causes. For example, we tin negociate conditions associated pinch proceeding loss, specified arsenic high humor pressure and diabetes. We tin besides limit vulnerability to sources of damaging noise, for illustration building equipment, section mowers, motorcycles and large music. Small actions, for illustration protecting your proceeding astatine a large performance pinch over-ear headphones, which Reed prefers to earplugs, tin person a large impact.

“A patient manner and patient listening habits tin spell a agelong way,” says Reed.

Reed besides recommends that group commencement getting their proceeding tested successful their precocious 30s aliases 40s. Establishing a baseline tin thief you place changes complete time, and bespeak if and erstwhile caller habits mightiness beryllium useful. The longer you unrecorded pinch impaired hearing, nan harder it is to set to devices for illustration proceeding aids.

Is it imaginable to reverse proceeding loss?

Several treatments and devices tin thief alleviate proceeding loss, but their effectiveness depends connected nan individual. If you fishy you person proceeding issues, it’s champion to person your proceeding checked and talk options pinch your healthcare provider.

Hearing immunodeficiency tin beryllium purchased over-the-counter aliases pinch a prescription. Reed says learning really to deterioration them takes time and practice. There’s a captious nationalist wellness request to expand coverage for these tools, says Smith, because it’s well-established that proceeding immunodeficiency tin amended value of life.

While studies haven’t proven that proceeding immunodeficiency will hold dementia, scientists are intrigued by their imaginable to support encephalon health.

“The thought is that, successful theory, if a personification uses proceeding aids, connection becomes easier and you little nan load of cognitive load,” says Reed. “You’re stimulating nan encephalon pinch much auditory signals.”

Staying engaged successful societal networks is cardinal to maintaining intelligence and beingness wellbeing, says Reed. In a 2025 study, Reed and colleagues recovered that, among group pinch proceeding loss, participants who received proceeding immunodeficiency and were counseled connected their usage knowledgeable little loneliness and societal isolation. They besides had much varied types of connections, specified arsenic friends, family and acquaintances.

Similarly, assistive technologies whitethorn help. These scope wide successful usability and design, but mostly amplify sound, trim inheritance noise, and amended communication. For example, apps that person reside to matter tin assistance pinch telephone calls, and individual amplifiers tin heighten proceeding successful conversations. People pinch mild to mean proceeding nonaccomplishment whitethorn find immoderate alleviation successful settings for illustration crowded restaurants done items for illustration nan Apple AirPods Pro 2, which feature a built-in proceeding aid, says Reed.

In immoderate instances, what tin thief a personification negociate proceeding nonaccomplishment champion is really they are supported by their community. There’s a request for much equitable environments that support group pinch sensory wellness needs, says Smith.

“Some connection tips tin spell really far,” says Reed. “Good connection is looking personification successful nan face. It’s speaking slowly. It’s astir rephrasing and adding context.”