Hearing and the Brain: What to Do, in Order
Hearing and the Brain: what is worth doing, what is worth avoiding, and when to stop and see a doctor.
The relationship between untreated hearing loss and cognitive and social outcomes. Hearing loss is among the largest modifiable dementia risk factors, and the average person waits years before doing anything about it.
Key takeaways
- Associated with: raised dementia risk, social isolation and low mood
- Hearing aids: recommended, and associated with better outcomes
- Most useful single change: Get a hearing test rather than adapting around the loss.
- Commonest mistake: Delaying assessment for years, which is the usual pattern.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
Do
- Get a hearing test rather than adapting around the loss
- Use hearing aids consistently once fitted
- Protect hearing from loud noise, which is cumulative
- Ask about ear wax removal, a common and simple cause
Do not
- Delaying assessment for years, which is the usual pattern
- Cotton buds in the ear canal
- Withdrawing from conversation rather than addressing the hearing
The numbers behind the list
The list is built from the numbers below, which come from the bodies cited at the end.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Associated with | raised dementia risk, social isolation and low mood |
| Hearing aids | recommended, and associated with better outcomes |
| Free NHS hearing tests | available via GP referral |
| Sudden hearing loss | a medical emergency |
If you change one thing
Get a hearing test rather than adapting around the loss. It heads the list. If you take nothing else from this page, take that.
Where to go next
- Hearing and the Brain: Just the Figures
- Hearing and the Brain: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Hearing and the Brain — the reference entry
- The Evidence on Brain and Diet, Without the Hype
- Dementia Risk Reduction: What Published Guidance Supports
When to speak to a doctor
Seek same-day medical assessment for sudden hearing loss in one or both ears — sudden sensorineural hearing loss is treatable but the window is days. Also seek urgent advice for hearing loss with severe ear pain, discharge, dizziness, facial weakness, or after a head injury.
Where this comes from
- NICE — Hearing loss in adults: assessment and management
- Alzheimer's Society — reducing your risk
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
