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World Heart Day To Announce Direct Link- Hearing Health to Heart Health.
17 Sep , 2015
Could hearing loss be an early sign of cardiovascular disease? Ongoing research indicates that monitoring your hearing health may help you monitor your heart health as well. Better Hearing Institute (BHI) urges adults of all ages to make a hearing check a healthy heart choice for World Heart Day 2015.
In advance of World Heart Day on September 29, the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) issued an announcement urging people to check their hearing. The announcement comes in response to a growing body of research showing a link between cardiovascular and hearing health.
To help people determine if they need a comprehensive hearing test by a hearing healthcare professional, BHI is offering a free, quick, and confidential online hearing check on its website.BHI reports that Raymond Hull, PhD, professor of communication sciences and disorders in audiology and neurosciences at Wichita State University, recently completed research analyzing 84 years of work from scientists worldwide on the connection between cardiovascular health and the ability to hear and understand what others are saying. Hull’s work, which reviewed 70 scientific studies, confirmed a direct link.This work shows that the auditory system, especially the blood vessels of the inner ear, needs an oxygen-rich nutrient supply. If it doesn’t get it due to cardiovascular health problems, then hearing can be affected. While there are many possible causes of hearing loss, cardiovascular disease appears to exaggerate the impact of those causes and intensify the degree of hearing decline, says Hull.
5 Important Heart-Healthy Reasons to Get a Hearing Test!
1. Six decades of research points to a heart-hearing health connection. A review of 60-plus years of research found a correlation between cardiovascular and hearing health. Study authors concluded there is a negative influence of impaired cardiovascular health on both the peripheral and central auditory system.
2. The ear may be a window to the heart. Some experts find the evidence showing a link between cardiovascular and hearing health so compelling that they encourage collaboration between hearing care providers, cardiologists, and other healthcare professionals.
3. The lifestyle behaviors that affect the heart impact hearing. Evidence of the link between cardiovascular and hearing health shows that a higher level of physical activity is associated with a lower risk of hearing loss; smokers are more likely to suffer hearing loss; and regular consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with a lower risk of hearing loss.
4. Hearing aids can improve quality of life. Most people who use hearing aids say it helps their quality of life, relationships, work performance, ability to communicate, social lives, and ability to participate in group activities.
5. Hearing aid technologies are better than ever, helping people lead active, engaged lives. Today’s hearing aids make it easier to hear from all directions and filter out noise. Many sit inside the ear canal and out of sight; and many are wireless, so they can interface easily with other high-tech devices like smartphones and hearing loops.
