Imagine yourself at a lively party, surrounded by chatter and laughter. Despite the energetic atmosphere, understanding conversations becomes an arduous task. Unless you repeatedly ask others to repeat themselves, their words seem lost in the noise, leaving you feeling frustrated and disconnected. This struggle can lead to withdrawing from social interactions, impacting mental well-being significantly. 

This scenario is surprisingly common and often arises when hearing health begins to decline. 

“Hearing loss is extremely prevalent,” Dr. Jenelle Sandy, Au.D, CCC-A for Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic, said. “As people get older, there’s age-related hearing loss, and it’s fairly inevitable for everybody. The connection between hearing loss and mental health is very complex.” 

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One of the most substantial mental health symptoms that individuals who are struggling with untreated hearing loss experience is social isolation – a state of complete or near-complete lack of contact between an individual and society.  

“As people start to experience hearing loss, oftentimes they begin to withdraw from social activities,” Sandy said. “Ultimately, these people begin to disengage with the world around them, taking themselves out of situations where their hearing health is impacted.” 

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Social isolation begins to compile within an individual who is struggling with untreated hearing loss, with the opportunity to potentially result in loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, there are higher-level symptoms of depression in individuals who face untreated hearing loss.  

There’s substantial social and cognitive aspects to the relationship between hearing loss and mental health.  

 “With untreated hearing loss leading to social isolation, this ultimately leads to deeper mental health impacts,” Sandy said. “A situation with untreated hearing loss, there’s potentially more cognitive load and overall fatigue on the individual. As folks are struggling to hear what others are saying, the brain is processing auditory information, and ultimately, it takes on a lot more stress on the individual.” 

This situation can lead to significant mental health impacts, such as stress, anxiety, and depression; oftentimes resulting in overall mental fatigue.  

The link between hearing and mental health can be traced back to finding connections between age-related diseases, such as Dementia, which amplifies overall cognitive decline in an individual, with hearing loss. However, there are interventions and treatments for individuals who are struggling.  

“The acceleration of Dementia is critical for folks that have hearing loss, there’s a lot of research that suggests that hearing loss can accelerate cognitive decline,” Sandy said. “It’s especially important for individuals who have a history of Dementia in their family or folks who are showing potential signs of Dementia to take the proactive, proper steps to ensure the longevity of their mental health as much as possible.”  

Addressing any potential hearing loss is the first step to taking control of one’s hearing health, which in turn, frequently results in properly assisting in the link between hearing care and mental health.  

“Getting regular hearing screenings as people get older is an essential first step to address your hearing health,” Sandy said. “There are potential solutions for people that do have hearing loss with solutions such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and even assisted listening devices. For our patients, we are even recommending solutions such as oral rehabilitation. There are even applications and other exercises out there that can assist in improving communication and lip reading.” 

With modern solutions on the market that can assist in restoring individuals’ hearing health, it’s still essential to continue to get your hearing evaluated frequently. Over time, as an individual is exposed to different sounds in their lifetime, hearing loss is something that’s inevitable with age;  and it’s essential to take the proactive steps to maintain one’s hearing health, to preserve their hearing, as well as their overall mental wellbeing.  

“There’s a recommendation from the American Academy of Audiology to get regular hearing screenings several times throughout your life,” Sandy said. “Once when you’re a newborn, a couple of intervals throughout one’s childhood and adolescence, and then when an individual is 50 – 65 years of age, testing should be more frequent, and above 65 years of age, it’s highly recommended to get your hearing tested annually.” 

Along with testing, another essential step to mitigating mental health impacts from untreated hearing loss is proactively communicating with your loved ones, and including a companion in the hearing screening process.  

“Go get tested immediately,” Sandy said. “Having a companion is so important. Typically, it takes individuals who are struggling with hearing loss five to seven years to act on their hearing loss, and that’s due to a variety of reasons.”  

Sandy continues, stating that people wait to act on their hearing loss often because of it being a vanity issue and individuals not wanting to wear hearing aids, among a variety of other reasons; but it’s important to assist a family member who is struggling with potential hearing issues to proactively take charge and addressing the matter to improve one’s overall mental wellbeing.  

“Struggling with hearing loss is something that can be daunting, which is why it’s essential to have a companion to assist in taking the lead in addressing the matter properly and efficiently,” Sandy said. “Keeping communication between the patient and companion is critical to properly treat the patient, and keep the link between hearing health and mental health at the forefront of the conversation.”  

In an effort to mitigate both auditory and mental health impacts, Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic supports their patients by suggesting regular hearing evaluations and sending out reminders to existing patients to come back and get their hearing evaluated to hold their patients accountable.  

Once one’s hearing is evaluated at Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic, they offer a customized plan to properly address each of their patients’ hearing health with the solution that best fits their lifestyle.  

If you or a loved one is struggling with hearing loss, Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic encourages individuals to make an appointment to properly address your hearing concerns. Additionally, if you or a loved one is struggling with mental health issues related to hearing loss, individuals are encouraged to reach out to mental health resources that are available both locally and online. 

Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic is a vital resource in the South Lake Tahoe community for patients to address their hearing health. The clinic accepts most insurance providers, and additionally offers free resources to Veterans who are struggling with hearing loss.  

Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic is located at 2074 Lake Tahoe Boulevard Suite 9 South Lake Tahoe, Calif. 96150. For more information or to book an appointment, call 530-600-0023.