If you want to bring any cheerful family gathering to a screeching halt, just bring up dementia. It’s a topic most people avoid—not because they don’t care, but because it’s genuinely frightening. Dementia is a progressive condition that slowly (and sometimes rapidly) chips away at memory, personality, and the ability to think clearly. It’s something no one wants to imagine facing.
Because of this fear, many people look for ways to reduce their chances of developing dementia or delay its onset. One surprising factor that keeps showing up in studies? Untreated hearing loss. The link between the two is stronger than most people expect.
It may seem strange—what do your ears have to do with your brain? As it turns out: quite a lot.
What untreated hearing loss does to your brain
Maybe you’ve noticed your hearing slipping, but you’ve brushed it off. You turn up the TV volume, rely on captions, or ask people to repeat themselves a little more often. Or maybe the changes are so gradual you haven’t really connected the dots yet.
Regardless of how noticeable it is, hearing loss that’s left unaddressed has a powerful impact on cognitive health. Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:
• Conversations become harder to follow
When you can’t hear clearly, communication takes a lot more effort. Many people instinctively begin withdrawing from social situations—fewer dinners with friends, fewer phone calls, fewer group activities. This quiet isolation is one of the biggest risk factors for cognitive decline. You may not even realize you’ve pulled away; it often happens subtly.
• Your brain starts working overtime
With untreated hearing loss, the brain receives incomplete sound information. To compensate, it strains to interpret and “fill in the blanks.” Over time this constant overexertion pulls energy away from memory and thinking centers. Experts believe this ongoing mental load is a major contributor to dementia risk.
This intensified work can also cause mental fatigue, slower processing, and difficulty concentrating long before dementia ever enters the picture.
In other words: hearing loss is much more than an inconvenience—and it’s not something that turning up the volume can truly fix.
Hearing loss is one of the strongest predictors of dementia risk
Even mild hearing loss—difficulty hearing whispers or soft speech—can double your risk of developing dementia compared to someone with normal hearing.
That doesn’t mean hearing loss causes dementia or guarantees it. It simply increases your likelihood over time. But here’s the encouraging part:
Managing hearing loss can help lower your risk.
Here’s how to start:
- Schedule a hearing evaluation with a specialist to understand your current level of hearing.
- Protect your hearing if loss is detected early—limit exposure to loud environments or use hearing protection when needed.
- Consider hearing aids if recommended. While they can’t “prevent” dementia outright, they do lighten the cognitive load, improve communication, and help you stay socially engaged—all of which support brain health.
Research continues to show that treating hearing loss can meaningfully reduce dementia-related risk factors.
Other ways to support long-term cognitive health
Hearing is just one piece of the puzzle. Additional habits can also help protect your brain:
- Adopt a heart-healthy diet, especially one that supports healthy blood pressure.
- Stay physically active.
- Prioritize restorative sleep, ideally more than four hours per night.
- Stop smoking, and moderate alcohol consumption.
Dementia is influenced by many variables—genetics, lifestyle, environment, and more. But lowering your overall risk is always beneficial.
Better hearing improves your life now, too
Addressing hearing loss isn’t just about what might happen years from now—it’s about improving your daily life today. Clearer conversations, fewer misunderstandings, and more meaningful interactions can completely transform how connected and confident you feel.
You deserve to fully participate in the world around you. Managing hearing loss—even taking the simple step of trying hearing aids—can make all the difference.