There are lots of possible causes of fatigue, everything from not being able to sleep at night to respiratory issues like sleep apnea. But there is something more common that can also be the cause of fatigue and that’s hearing loss.
In part, that’s because hearing loss can be a gradually-moving, subtle condition. You may not immediately recognize the symptoms and, as a result, you might feel as if you’re constantly tired for no reason. This experience can be really frustrating. Additionally, this exhaustion can often lead to irritability and, eventually, social isolation. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will frequently improve your energy levels, reducing tiredness and exhaustion.
Your brain will compensate for gradually progressing hearing loss
Hearing loss is typically a slowly advancing condition that grows worse over time. You may not even recognize that you have a hearing impairment at first. If you aren’t specifically watching for them, even obvious symptoms, like cranking the volume on your audio devices way up, can be easy to overlook.
Fatigue is one of the most noticeable symptoms of hearing loss. In spite of how much rest you get, you could still feel exhausted. Regrettably, many people don’t instinctively link this symptom with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause happens in your brain. When your ears aren’t getting as much information, your brain works overtime to comprehend it all. This continual extra work is exhausting in the same way that prolonged periods of concentration can take a toll. Your ability to complete daily tasks and your general quality of life can be significantly impacted over time as your neglected hearing loss grows worse.
Stigma plays a role
So why don’t more individuals just go see a hearing specialist when they begin feeling fatigued? One partial reason is that individuals just don’t associate fatigue with hearing loss. But the perception of stigma is another reason which can be even more damaging. There’s a feeling 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 people from finding treatment.
However, as more individuals are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has started to fade. 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 notice 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 leads to hearing loss that gets worse over time when it may not have to.
How to manage hearing loss-associated fatigue
There are frequently no apparent symptoms of early stage hearing loss. That makes it difficult 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 subsequent screenings. Early treatment will be much more effective after we have identified that baseline.
You can lessen hearing loss related exhaustion by taking a few proactive measures. Some of the simplest and most common steps include the following:
- Consult a hearing specialist: It’s important to keep tabs on your hearing health. Consulting a hearing specialist can help you detect 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 find more quiet, secluded places for conversations: When there is a lot of background noise, it can be challenging to sort out voices, even with hearing aids in some cases. It will be easier, and less fatiguing, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter area.
- Take breaks from conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and refresh in between conversations. Your brain is working overtime to participate in conversation and brief rests will make that more sustainable.
- Make sure you wear your hearing aids as often as you can: One of the primary functions of hearing aids is to clarify human speech, making understanding conversations much easier. This means you won’t be as fatigued because your brain won’t need to work so hard.
So if you’re dealing with an unusual amount of exhaustion and tiredness, with no evident cause, it may be time to schedule a visit to your hearing specialist. You can minimize your fatigue and boost your energy by treating your hearing loss. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re concerned about the stigma.
