These days, if you're like most Americans, you invest some time and effort in the important task of taking care of your health. You go to the dentist. You see the eye doctor. And of course, your regular physician. And you may spend time keeping your body in shape through gym workouts, sports, or even yoga. But if you're like a lot of Americans, there's one thing missing from this healthy picture: taking care of your hearing health.

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Not something to ignore

Hearing health is not something to ignore. According to the Public Hearing Institute, hearing loss affects one in five people over the age of 60 … a total of 35 million Americans. It cuts across age, gender, economic strata and location. Yet it's largely going unnoticed.

But it shouldn't be. Untreated hearing loss can have two serious impacts on your life. First, there's the loss of your hearing itself. As your hearing declines, you strain to hear conversations and you miss out on information. Life becomes that much more stressful and challenging.

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It's about more than hearing

Advanced hearing loss is also associated with a variety of serious medical conditions including:

Heart and cardiovascular disease: The negative influence of impaired cardiovascular health on both the peripheral and central auditory system has the potential to affect an individual’s capacity to hear.
Diabetes: Hearing loss is about twice as common in adults with diabetes.
Cognitive function, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease: Studies show that older people with hearing loss are more likely to develop dementia, and that hearing loss is associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline.
Depression and anxiety: Hearing loss can lead to isolation and other emotional conditions that can affect both quality of life and mental health.
Chronic kidney disease: Research has shown that people with moderate chronic kidney disease have a higher prevalence of hearing loss.

The good news: it's treatable.

Whether it's a cause or a symptom, the good news is that hearing loss is often treatable through hearing care. And just like vision care, dental care and other health care, a regular hearing exam can help you track and deal with other serious medical conditions often associated with hearing loss. With a visit to your Hearing Care Professional, you can get an evaluation and find out whether modern hearing instruments can help you regain clearer, more natural hearing, and stay engaged with the world around you.

And that's a healthy choice, in more ways than one.

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