Is there a link between hearing loss and dementia?

What you hear (or don’t hear) impacts how hard your brain has to work, how mentally tiring everyday life feels, and how connected you are to the people around you.

When you begin to lose your hearing, your brain doesn’t receive the information it expects and has to work overtime to fill in the gaps. To do this, it pulls resources away from other thinking (cognitive) tasks, such as your memory and attention span.

Research from Johns Hopkins University found that even mild hearing loss (20dB) doubled the risk of dementia. Additionally, the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention has identified hearing loss as one of the most significant modifiable risk factors for dementia.

This does not mean that hearing loss automatically leads to memory loss. However, it does mean that protecting your hearing and early intervention are two of the most important ways to safeguard your long-term cognitive health and wellbeing.

Resonate Health is the only hearing provider prioritising proactive dementia prevention in New Zealand.

The link between memory loss and hearing is why we created Ear360®, our 10-point hearing health assessment. Ear360 assesses far beyond the sounds you can hear, and looks at how it affects other areas of your life, including memory, sleep, balance and tinnitus.

In 2025, we enhanced the assessment to include new mental and cognitive fitness wellbeing factors, powered by Sonde Health, helping you better understand how your brain processes sound and how it leaves you feeling throughout the day.

No matter your age, it’s important to assess your hearing regularly and address hearing loss as soon as possible. Book your Ear360 assessment today.