Tiredness can have a wide variety of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory problems like sleep apnea. But there is something more common that can also cause fatigue and that’s hearing loss.
That’s at least partly due to the fact that hearing loss normally progresses slowly over time. You might not immediately distinguish the symptoms and, as a result, you may feel as if you’re constantly tired for no reason. This experience can be very frustrating. Additionally, this exhaustion can often result in irritability and, eventually, social isolation. Fortunately, your energy levels will typically increase once you get your hearing loss treated.
Your brain will compensate for gradually developing hearing loss
Hearing loss is typically a gradually developing 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 turning the volume on your audio devices way up, can be easy to overlook.
Fatigue is one of the most obvious symptoms of hearing loss. No matter how much rest you get, you could still feel exhausted. This symptom, unfortunately, isn’t usually associated with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause takes place in your brain. When your ears aren’t receiving as much information, your brain works harder to comprehend it all. This continual extra work is taxing in the same way that prolonged periods of concentration can take a toll. Left neglected, this fatigue can grow worse over time, impacting your quality of life and your ability to complete daily routine tasks.
Stigma plays a role
So why don’t more individuals just visit a hearing specialist when they start feeling tired? One partial reason is that people just don’t connect fatigue with hearing loss. But the notion of stigma is another reason which can be even more detrimental. People often feel like others will think they’re old if they have hearing loss and that admitting it will ruin their lives. All of these things are untrue, and they stop many people from finding treatment.
However, this stigma is beginning to disappear as more individuals become open to their hearing loss. Many people understand that hearing loss isn’t some type of social failing, and the very small nature of modern hearing aids makes them easy to hide around folks who unfortunately will not let go of this stigma.
It’s unfortunate that this social stigma can make it harder for people to find the care they need because this often results in hearing loss that gets worse over time when it may not have to.
Solutions for hearing loss-related fatigue
The earliest phases of hearing loss might not have any apparent symptoms. That makes it difficult to effectively take a reactive strategy, and it’s why many hearing specialists favor preventative approaches. Hearing specialists advocate for regular screenings in order to create 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 frequently far more effective.
You can minimize hearing loss related exhaustion by taking a few proactive measures. A few of the simplest and most common measures include the following:
- Schedule an assessment with a hearing specialist: Keeping an eye on the state of your hearing is essential. 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 have conversations in quieter spots: Sorting out voices from background noise can be difficult when you have hearing loss (often whether you’re wearing 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 trying to hear, minimizing fatigue in the process.
- If you have hearing aids, wear them as frequently as possible: One of the chief functions of hearing aids is to clarify human speech, making understanding conversations much easier. This means your brain won’t need to work as hard and you won’t experience the same degree of fatigue.
- Give yourself a break in between conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and refresh in between conversations. Your brain is working overtime to engage in conversation and brief rests will make that more sustainable.
It’s most likely time to make an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing fatigue with no apparent cause. Treating hearing loss can help you lessen your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re afraid of the stigma.