First of all, what exactly is ‘cocktail party problem’? This term describes a difficultly following speech in a noisy environment. So how does this problem is related to decline of our brain health?

You can see your ears as instruments that pick up sound waves and send out nerve impulses to our brain for interpretation. If the brain can’t function well, it also can’t interprete the sound from outside. That is why many people with dementia experience difficultly following speech in a noisy environment. In this case poor hearing is a symptom of dementia. But according to a recent large study, it can also be a risk factor of developing dementia, which could potentially be treated.

The study analyzed information from 82.039 participants above 60 years old. Over the period of 11 years 1.285 participants developed dementia. Insufficient hearing was linked to 61% risk of developing dementia, while poor hearing increased the chances of getting dementia by 91% (!) compared to normal hearing.

It means that you need to pay a close attention to hearing problems at any age as this could be an early sign of problems with your brain. And prevention is always better than treatment!

Curious? HERE is the source