Dementia affects around 982,000 people in the UK. Studies show that those with untreated hearing problems may be up to five times more likely to develop the condition.<\/p>\n
ITV<\/a> Lorraine and Good Morning Britain<\/a> regular Dr Khan said one possible explanation is the concept of ‘cognitive load’\u2014where the brain has to work harder to process sound, drawing resources away from other vital functions such as memory.<\/p>\n ‘When you can’t hear well, your brain works overtime to decode sounds and speech,’ he said.<\/p>\n ‘That extra effort pulls energy away from memory and thinking. The brain is too busy trying to hear to actually remember.’\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Khan compared this to how apps running in the background on a phone can slow down the device and drain its battery.<\/p>\n Hearing loss can also trigger\u00a0brain shrinkage<\/a>, Dr Khan said\u2014another reason the condition increases the risk of dementia.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n MRI scans show that people with hearing loss may experience faster brain atrophy\u2014the loss of neurons and pathways in the brain\u2014especially in areas involved in memory and language.<\/p>\n ‘Use it or lose it,’ he urged his followers.\u00a0‘When the ears go quiet, the brain starts to fade too.’<\/p>\n Social isolation is also know to contribute to the development of the memory robbing disease.<\/p>\n ‘Hearing loss often leads to withdrawal from conversation and social life and that’s a huge dementia risk,’ Dr Khan said.<\/p>\n ‘Loneliness and lack of mental stimulation are like fuel for cognitive decline.\u00a0If you’re not connecting, you’re not protecting your brain,’ he warned.<\/p>\n ‘Get your hearing tested and use hearing aids if needed and stay socially and mentally active.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘Looking after your hearing is looking after your future brain.’<\/p>\n US scientists, who tracked almost 3,000 elderly adults with hearing loss, found almost a third of all dementia cases could be attributed to the issue\u00a0<\/p>\n Being unable to learn new tasks and struggling to stay focused on a single task can be a sign of dementia \u2014 which affects nearly 1million Brits and seven million Americans<\/p>\n Dr Khan’s warning comes as new research suggests that tackling hearing loss early could delay the onset of dementia by several years.<\/p>\n A major US study, which tracked nearly 3,000 older adults with hearing impairment, found that almost a third of dementia cases could be linked to hearing loss alone.<\/p>\n Published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology, the research showed that those with mild hearing loss faced a 16.2 per cent risk of developing dementia \u2014 with women slightly more at risk than men.<\/p>\n Experts said the findings offer further evidence of a strong link between hearing and brain health, and called on health leaders to prioritise screening for those most vulnerable.<\/p>\n Dr Isolde Radford, at Alzheimer’s Research UK, welcomed the findings. While not involved in the study, she said: ‘Hearing loss, like dementia, isn’t an inevitable part of ageing.<\/p>\n ‘That’s why we’re calling on the government to include a hearing check in the NHS Health Check for over-40s.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘This simple step could help millions identify hearing loss earlier and take appropriate action, such as wearing hearing aids, that may help reduce their risk of dementia.’\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"US](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/85788683-14865181-US_scientists_who_tracked_almost_3_000_elderly_adults_with_heari-a-27_175163221304.jpeg\")
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