How hearing loss can lead to loneliness, and how the combination increases the risk of dementia

Many of us suffer from hearing problems, whether mild or moderate - this is not unusual and is an inevitable part of ageing.

We spend our lives hearing different sounds, at different volumes so it’s no surprise that this can eventually take its toll, especially as we reach later life. This applies particularly to those who are exposed occupationally to life long, high impact noise, such as heavy manufacturing, or the military and rescue services. Hearing loss however, isn’t just an ‘ears’ problem. It can be a clear, early warning sign that the brain itself is under strain, and increasingly, researchers are treating it as a genuine warning sign for dementia.

In the landmark 2024 update, the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care, reviewed the global evidence and concluded that, from their study, 45% of dementia cases could potentially be prevented or delayed by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors throughout life. One of these, alongside high blood pressure, smoking and physical inactivity, was hearing loss. This is because if left untreated, hearing impairment increases cognitive overload. More importantly and critically, it drives social isolation, essentially starving the brain of vital resources including memory, conversation recall and basic sound processing. More recently, evidence is indicating that hearing loss isn’t just something that correlates with later life - it shows that something is changing in the brain, quite often decades before a memory problem would even be noticed.

In 2025, the Framingham Heart study was published, which posed the question, is midlife hearing loss associated with markers of brain ageing, cognitive decline, and risk of developing dementia? Over 15 years, a cohort of 2,178 underwent hearing tests and brain MRI scans, tracking older adults for incident dementia. The study revealed that mild or greater hearing loss was associated with lower brain volume, greater white matter abnormalities and declines in executive function over time. Translated, this means that hearing loss was linked to a faster decline in executive function, a lower baseline brain volume was reported, and there was faster progression of white matter changes (white matter acts as the communication network of the brain). Any hearing loss was also associated with a 71% increased risk of developing dementia, especially in those carrying the APOE gene and without hearing aids to mitigate these risks.

These are all markers of the brain working much harder than it should have to. A brain spending more energy on decoding muffled sounds leaves few resources for memory and thinking. Add this to the quieter, more socially isolating world that hearing loss creates and the result can be fewer conversations, less stimulation and more withdrawal. These two powerful risk factors, hearing loss and social isolation, only compound each other, and social isolation alone can increase the risk of dementia by up to 50%. In the famous Yale study on loneliness, a big longitudinal study of 2,000 adults, it was found that cognitive decline was 12 times faster in those who declared themselves to feel lonely at least once a week.

A common misconception is that hearing aids are only for older people. The truth is that because hearing aids are now aesthetically more discreet, many people are now using them as a preventative measure. They have the power to truly support brain health, especially for those diagnosed with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. And what’s more, because there is no reverse therapy, once hearing loss has occurred, prevention is key in maintaining brain health longevity.

“Getting your hearing checked, especially if you are beginning to notice yourself turning up the volume or asking people to repeat themselves, is one step forward to preserving cognitive function and reserve”, says Professor James Goodwin, Director of Brain Health and Research Impact at Brain Health Network.

A hearing test can take 20 minutes and gives you a good baseline to work from for future years, and if hearing loss is identified then it can be treated. Hearing aids shouldn’t be viewed as an unwanted lifestyle accessory, but more as a meaningful, evidence-backed tool helping you to protect and preserve your brain health. We cannot change our age, nor our genetics. Hearing loss has spent decades being dismissed as a minor, inevitable cost of getting older but new research and academic insight is gradually telling a different story - which can see us work to reduce modifiable risk factors and live fulfilled lives in our later years.

For more information on how to keep the mind active, visit our Active Mind pillar.