Chronic stress is a powerful condition. Defined by Yale Medicine as “a consistent sense of being pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time,” prolonged pressure can affect how we eat, sleep, remember, learn, and beyond.
It’s true: Chronic stress can have systemic effects that can negatively impact our day-to-day lives. For example, when it comes to memory and learning, chronic stress can decrease these cognitive processes, according to the American Brain Foundation. As the central and peripheral systems are forced to make adjustments, behavioral changes can result and lead to psychiatric or sensory disorders.
So, what about a basic brain function like hearing—can constant stress affect that? Affirmative, per today’s hearing fact. The discovery comes from a recent study by researchers from the Department of Life Sciences at Ben-Gurion University.
In the name of continued hearing health and quality of life, let’s learn more about these research findings, why they’re important, and how hearing technology can help us reduce stress to begin with.
Research investigated impact of stress on basic brain function
While chronic stress is a significant risk factor for mental health conditions including psychiatric and sensory disorders, less is known about how stress affects the way the brain processes neutral (versus emotionally charged) stimuli. For this reason, Dr. Jennifer Resnik and her team conducted a study focusing on chronic stress and its impact on how the brain processes everyday sound.
The team explored the effect of repetitive stress on the perception of sounds, both loud and soft. They discovered that while the stress didn’t alter the signal sent to the brain in reaction to a noise, it did appear to change how the subject interpreted the noise. They found that “the brain becomes less sensitive to mid-level sounds,” said Resnik in an article for Popular Science.
She adds, “Chronic stress alters auditory processing in a way that primarily affects sensitivity to sound intensity, rather than … particular frequencies or sound types.”
The research, then, confirmed that chronic stress can affect the basic brain processes such as how we hear.
(Read the full Popular Science article here.)
So now that we’re aware of chronic stress’ ability to affect even basic brain functions, what can we do to decrease stress in the first place?
Hearing loss is linked to stress—here’s what we can do
Did you know untreated hearing loss is linked to stress? Research has uncovered associations between untreated hearing loss and loneliness in people—and consequently, loneliness has been found to increase stress. So, you can probably guess one simple thing we can do to help combat isolation and the resulting stress:
Get our hearing tested regularly and treat any hearing loss we may have.
The ripple effect of this—is that better hearing can help us to not only lower our stress but also improve our overall quality of life
Treating hearing loss can help with stress by:
Decreasing social anxiety and isolation
Making social contact is a good stress reliever, according to the Mayo Clinic, because it can support us and distract us when challenges associated with overwhelm occur. And with better hearing through hearing aids, we may feel more empowered to connect with family or friends, or participate in other social activities like volunteering, taking classes, attending our place of worship, etc.
Supporting our physical activity
Physical activity is an effective stress fighter because the increase in our brain’s endorphins directly correlates with upbeat feelings. Secondly, fitness can help us redirect our attention from problems to body movements.
Hearing our best through hearing aids promotes ongoing physical activity—be it working out or yardwork—by decreasing our odds of falling (by 50%, according to research). Makes sense, too, given that improved hearing gives us better awareness of our surroundings. This also helps us preserve our independence—increasing our likelihood of engaging in activities.
Assisting with tinnitus relief
Emotional stress and tinnitus can go hand in hand, but wearing hearing aids can help us through it: One study found that 60% of patients experienced minor to major relief from their tinnitus when wearing hearing aids, while one in five felt major relief.
Wearing hearing aids also allows us to access tinnitus relief through companion technology. For example, the Tinnitus feature on the My Starkey app offers comforting, customizable sounds that can be played through hearing aids.
Helping us to laugh
Did you know that laughter is some of the best medicine for stress? According to the Mayo Clinic, laughing reduces our mental load plus benefits our body by igniting then cooling down our stress response. So, when we treat our hearing loss with hearing aids, it becomes easier for us to do things like stream comedy specials and exchange humorous banter with friends—allowing us to feel better and have fun doing it.
Take preventive steps against stress—see a hearing care professional
So, here’s to being proactive against chronic stress while improving our hearing and quality of life. Schedule an appointment with a licensed hearing care professional today.