Why early intervention for aging related hearing loss matters for mental health & overall well being

March 21, 2025

Aging related hearing loss is common among older adults but often untreated.

The impact of hearing impairment is not merely unable to hear sounds or conversations clearly; the social and psychological impacts are quietly affecting individuals with hearing impairment. Anxiety, depression and social isolation are some examples of mental and psychological impacts that arose from hearing difficulty.

As aging hearing loss deteriorate slowly over time, many actually get used to hearing less sound without realising it.

Depression, anxiety and social isolation are also known risk factors for dementia. The next question you may want to ask, are hearing loss and dementia related?

Untreated hearing loss increases the risk for dementia among high risk group

Study by Johns Hopkins University had identified hearing loss as an important risk factor of dementia. Adults with hearing loss have a 30 to 40% faster rate of cognitive decline compared to adults with normal hearing (Lin et al., 2013). Patients with hearing loss were two to five times more likely to develop dementia, depending on the severity of their hearing problem. Mild hearing loss doubled dementia risk. Moderate loss tripled risk, and people with a severe hearing impairment were five times more likely to develop dementia. Other studies, including one from Singapore, also arrived at a similar conclusion.

What is the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline?

1. Social isolation.

When you have hearing loss you may not be as socially engaged. One may become lonelier and withdrawn. Gradual deterioration of hearing loss fosters social isolation and depression which have been identified as risk factors for dementia and cognitive decline.

2. Cognitive overload.

When you cannot hear, your brain has to work harder to process sounds, at the expense of other functions as it take away resources that could be used for various cognitive functions e.g. thinking, memory, comprehension, analysis otherwise.

At our clinics, it is common to hear patients says they spend so much time and effort trying to hear the words, so much so that it affects their ability and energy to understand, participate and value add to daily conversations/meetings. This is a simple, real case example of cognitive overload.

3. Brain atrophy

Hearing loss can result in reduced auditory stimulation. As a result, hearing areas in the brain which are also involved in memory processing become underused and decline in function. Brain atrophy may happen meaning the brain starts shrinking faster which is not good for brain functions.

So hearing loss is not just about hearing health, it is also about mental health and overall wellbeing.

The next question you may ask, if we can improve our hearing through the use of hearing aid devices, can we reduce or avoid the risks of dementia? Click here to know more