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Hearing is a skill most of us take for granted. But a study from last year suggested that adults should listen out for changes in their hearing, as hearing difficulties might be linked to developing dementia at an older age.

In a study of over 80,000 adults over the age of 60, those who had trouble hearing speech in noisy environments had a greater risk of dementia, which is an umbrella term for conditions characterized by memory loss and difficulty with language and other thinking skills.

But there's an upside, too: The study added to evidence suggesting hearing problems may not just be a symptom of dementia but actually a risk factor of dementia that could possibly alert people, their families, or doctors to its onset before any deterioration begins.

"There has been a particular interest in hearing impairment and whether that can increase the risk of dementia," said epidemiologist and study author Thomas Littlejohns of the University of Oxford back in July 2021.