New Research Shows Hearing Loss Is Tied To Sedentary Lifestyle

Studies show that an active lifestyle, especially as you become older, is vital for preventing heart disease and managing your weight. It also has many other physical and mental health benefits. New evidence suggests that active people may be less prone to developing hearing loss, says an expert of hearing loss treatment in Kolkata.

A few new pieces of research have recently been published. All of them investigated the possible link between hearing loss and less physical exercise. They discovered that older persons with hearing loss may be more sedentary and have decreased physical function than those without hearing loss. 

Monitoring physical activity

A team of researchers reviewed data from 221 adults with normal hearing, 48 with mild hearing loss and 22 with moderate to severe hearing loss using the findings of hearing exams performed on a subgroup of participants aged 60 to 69. 

Each participant wore a motion-based monitor on their hip for a week to track how much time they spent being inactive, lightly active and moderately or strenuously active.

The researchers discovered that patients with mild to severe hearing loss tended to exercise less than people with normal hearing. The greater the severity of the hearing loss, the more probable the person was inactive for longer during the day, says the expert of hearing tests in Kolkata.

Most people with hearing loss were inactive for approximately 34 minutes more per day than those without hearing loss.

Another group of researchers investigated the association between hearing loss and physical function over-time. 

They examined data collected from people ranging in age from 71 to 94. There were 973 people with normal hearing, 1,170 with mild hearing loss, 692 with moderate loss and 121 with severe loss among all the participants.

Participants with hearing loss had worse scores for physical function, balance and walking speed than those with normal hearing. According to the findings of this study, hearing loss may be connected with decreased physical function over time, says the expert of hearing loss treatment in Kolkata.

Conclusion

Hearing loss is well-known to become increasingly common as we age. 

It is estimated that approximately 2% of persons aged 45 to 54 suffer from debilitating hearing loss. For adults aged 55 to 64, the percentage rises to 8.5 %. Hearing loss affects over 25% of people aged 65 to 74 and 50% of those aged 75 and older.

Hearing loss is often treated by wearing hearing aids and using assistive listening devices. Unfortunately, only about 20-25% of people with hearing loss use hearing aids.

The studies found a link between hearing loss and decreased physical activity, but it does not prove that it is the cause of hearing loss. More research is needed to investigate the link between the two.

Meanwhile, the greatest prescription for good aging is an active lifestyle, a balanced diet and weight and, if you have hearing loss, wear hearing aids to help you get the most out of life and stay active, says an expert of a well-known hearing aid center in Kolkata.