All Ears Hearing and Tinnitus Podcast9 Kesä

The Hidden Link Between Hearing Loss, Depression, and Dementia

Hearing loss is often treated as a simple sensory issue, but research shows it plays a much larger role in long-term brain health. In this episode, Dr. Layne Garrett explores the connection between hearing loss, depression, and cognitive decline, and why these conditions should never be viewed in isolation.

Drawing from major research including the 2024 Lancet Commission and large-scale longitudinal studies, this discussion explains how hearing loss increases auditory load, reduces speech clarity, and forces the brain to work harder to process sound. Over time, this added strain may contribute to cognitive decline. At the same time, hearing loss often leads to social withdrawal, which can contribute to depression. Depression itself is associated with changes in memory systems, inflammation, and stress response, further increasing dementia risk.

When hearing loss and depression occur together, the impact on brain health appears to be significantly amplified. This episode breaks down what that means clinically and why comprehensive care must address both hearing and mental health together.

Dr. Garrett brings more than two decades of experience in tinnitus and complex hearing loss, including REM-verified hearing aid fittings and evidence-based tinnitus therapies. If you are concerned about hearing changes, cognitive health, or tinnitus, early evaluation can make a meaningful difference.

You can learn more here.

To schedule an appointment in one of or Northern Utah Clinics click here.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(121)

I've used Lenire for Tinnitus Patients for 2 Years.- Here's What I've Learned

After two years as Utah's only standalone full-time Lenire provider, Dr. Layne Garrett breaks down who responds to this FDA-approved tinnitus device — and who doesn't. Two 2025 studies from real US c...

29 Syys 10min

Oticon Reveal: An Audiologist's Honest First Take

25 Syys 9min

The 7 Types of Tinnitus: What Your Sound Means

Not all tinnitus is the same. The type of sound you're hearing — ringing, hissing, buzzing, a low roar, pulsatile beating, clicking, or music — points toward different origins, different evaluation ap...

22 Syys 9min

5 Common Hearing Aid Problems and How to Fix Them

If your hearing aids still feel noisy, uncomfortable, frustrating, or not helpful enough, it can be easy to wonder whether you bought the wrong devices — or whether hearing aids just do not work for y...

18 Syys 11min

Hearing Your Heartbeat in Your Ear? What It Means

A rhythmic whooshing or thumping sound timed to your pulse is a different clinical presentation than standard ringing tinnitus — and it deserves a different evaluation. Dr. Layne Garrett, Au.D., found...

15 Syys 8min

Sound Preference Testing: What It Reveals

More than one in three people who invest in hearing aids stop wearing them regularly. Dr. Garrett makes the case that this outcome is almost entirely predictable — and preventable — with two steps mos...

11 Syys 9min

The Tinnitus-Antidepressant Connection: A Clinician's Take

A 2026 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identified a direct neural pathway from serotonin-producing brainstem neurons to a key auditory relay station. Activating ...

8 Syys 9min

Treating Hearing Loss Before 70: Why Timing Matters

A major 7-year study just found that hearing aids significantly reduced dementia risk — but didn't improve memory test scores. This week, Dr. Garrett unpacks why those findings aren't in conflict, and...

4 Syys 8min