There are numerous possible causes of exhaustion, everything from being unable to sleep at night to respiratory problems like sleep apnea. But many individuals are surprised to learn that chronic fatigue and exhaustion can also be a result of something relatively common: hearing loss.
That’s at least partially due to the fact that hearing loss usually develops slowly over time. You may find yourself continuously fatigued for no apparent reason because you failed to detect the symptoms of early hearing loss. This can be a frustrating experience. In addition, this exhaustion can frequently lead to irritability and, ultimately, social isolation. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will frequently improve your energy levels, reducing tiredness and exhaustion.
Hearing loss moves gradually (and your brain compensates)
For the majority of individuals, hearing loss is a very gradually-progressing condition that grows worse over time. In its early phases, you probably won’t even notice that you’re developing hearing loss. If you’re not specifically watching for them, even conspicuous symptoms, like turning the volume on your audio devices way up, can be easy to overlook.
One of the harder to miss symptoms of hearing loss is often exhaustion. No matter how much sleep you get, you could still feel exhausted. Unfortunately, many people don’t instinctively associate this symptom with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause takes place in your brain. Your brain needs to work extra hard to process sound because of the loss of your ability to hear, which can leave you exhausted. In the same way as prolonged periods of intense concentration can leave you worn out, the extra brain power required to hear what individuals are saying can be exhausting. Your ability to complete daily tasks and your general quality of life can be substantially affected over time as your neglected hearing loss grows worse.
The role of stigma
So when individuals begin to feel tired, why wouldn’t they simply visit a hearing specialist? There are many explanations: often individuals are busy or thinking about other things. But the perception of stigma is another cause which can be even more detrimental. There’s an impression that hearing loss is bad or ruins your life or that there’s nothing that can be done about it. All of these things are untrue, and they prevent many individuals from seeking treatment.
However, as more people are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has begun to disappear. It’s becoming a more prevalent understanding that hearing loss can happen to individuals of all ages and today’s hearing aids are discreet enough that the few people who can’t let go of this stigma won’t even see them.
Unfortunately, this perception of social stigma can cause individuals in the early stages of hearing loss to avoid getting the treatment they need leading to more serious permanent hearing loss.
How to deal with hearing loss-associated fatigue
The earliest stages of hearing loss may not have any apparent symptoms. That’s why hearing specialists prefer to take a preventative strategy instead of the far more difficult and less effective reactive method. For instance, scheduling routine screenings with a hearing specialist before you notice symptoms can help establish a baseline of what your healthy hearing looks like. Once this baseline is established, early intervention is frequently much more effective.
If your hearing loss is causing fatigue, there are some steps you can take to minimize that exhaustion as much as possible. Here are a few of the most common and simplest steps:
- See a hearing specialist: Keeping an eye on the condition of your hearing is important. Seeing a hearing specialist can help you identify hearing loss in its early stages when it’s less of an issue and your brain doesn’t have to work as hard to compensate.
- Try to locate more quiet, isolated places for conversations: Distinguishing voices from background noise can be challenging when you have hearing loss (often whether you’re using hearing aids or not). Moving conversations to an area with less background noise can make it easier for your brain to focus on the voice you’re attempting to hear, reducing fatigue in the process.
- Take breaks from conversations: In between conversation, take a quiet break somewhere. Your brain is working overtime to take part in conversation and brief breaks will make that more sustainable.
- Be certain you wear your hearing aids as frequently as you can: Hearing aids are designed to help you focus on the sounds of human speech, meaning conversation will be significantly easier to understand when you are hearing them. This means you won’t be as tired because your brain won’t need to work so hard.
So if you’re feeling an abnormal amount of fatigue and tiredness, with no apparent cause, it may be time to schedule a visit to your hearing specialist. You can reduce your fatigue and boost your energy by treating your hearing loss. Don’t let stigma cause your hearing loss to continue to be neglected.
