Fatigue can have a wide variety of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory problems such as sleep apnea. But there is something more common that can also cause fatigue and that’s hearing loss.
That’s at least partially due to the fact that hearing loss normally progresses gradually over time. You might find yourself continuously exhausted for no apparent reason because you failed to recognize the symptoms of early hearing loss. This can be a frustrating experience. Additionally, this exhaustion can often lead to irritability and, ultimately, social isolation. Luckily, your energy levels will typically increase once you get your hearing loss treated.
Hearing loss moves gradually (and your brain compensates)
Hearing loss is typically a gradually developing condition that gets worse over time. You might not even recognize that you have a hearing loss at first. Even prevalent symptoms, like turning the volume up on your TV and smartphone, can be easy to miss if you’re not watching for them.
One of the harder to miss symptoms of hearing loss is often exhaustion. You may feel tired no matter how much rest you got the night before. Unfortunately, many individuals don’t instinctively associate this symptom with hearing loss.
Because the cause occurs in your brain, the symptoms aren’t generally considered an ear problem. Your brain needs to work extra hard to process sound because of the loss of your ability to hear, which can leave you exhausted. This constant extra work is exhausting in the same way that extended periods of concentration can take a toll. Left untreated, this fatigue can grow worse over time, affecting your quality of life and your ability to complete daily routine tasks.
The role of stigma
So why don’t more people just go see a hearing specialist when they begin feeling fatigued? One partial reason is that people just don’t connect tiredness with hearing loss. But there’s another reason that may ultimately be more damaging: stigma. There’s a feeling that hearing loss is bad or ruins your life or that there’s nothing you can do about it. Individuals will often avoid seeking treatment because of these mistaken ideas.
However, as more individuals are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has started to disappear. It’s becoming a more common 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 get over this stigma won’t even see them.
It’s a shame that this social stigma can make it more difficult for people to find the care they need because this often results in hearing loss that grows worse over time when it may not need to.
How to deal with hearing loss-associated fatigue
The earliest phases of hearing loss might not have any evident symptoms. That makes it challenging to effectively take a reactive approach, and it’s why many hearing specialists prefer preventative techniques. Hearing specialists recommend routine screenings in order to establish a baseline of your healthy hearing, that way they will be capable of identifying changes to your hearing in later screenings. Once this baseline is established, early intervention is often far more effective.
You can lessen hearing loss related exhaustion by taking a few proactive steps. A few of the simplest and most common measures include the following:
- Give yourself a rest in between conversations: In between conversation, take a quiet break somewhere. This can help your brain recover from all the work it’s doing and make day-to-day communication a little more sustainable.
- If you use hearing aids, wear them as often as possible: Hearing aids are designed to help you focus on the sounds of human speech, meaning conversation will be considerably easier to understand when you are hearing them. This means your brain won’t need to work as hard and you will not experience the same level of fatigue.
- Consult a hearing specialist: It’s important to keep tabs on your hearing health. When hearing loss is in its early stages, your brain doesn’t have to work as hard as it does when the condition worsens, and a hearing specialist can identify hearing loss when it first begins to develop.
- Try to have conversations in quieter spots: When there is a lot of background noise, it can be challenging to sort out voices, even with hearing aids in some circumstances. Moving conversations to a location with less background noise can make it easier for your brain to focus on the voice you’re trying to hear, minimizing fatigue in the process.
It’s most likely time to make an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing exhaustion with no apparent cause. Treating hearing loss can help you reduce your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t let stigma cause your hearing loss to continue to be untreated.