There are a number of potential causes of tiredness, everything from the inability to sleep at night to respiratory issues like sleep apnea. But many people are surprised to learn that chronic tiredness and exhaustion can also be a result of something relatively common: hearing loss.
To some extent, that’s because hearing loss can be a slow-moving, subtle condition. You might find yourself constantly exhausted for no apparent reason because you failed to detect the symptoms of early hearing loss. This experience can be really frustrating. This fatigue can frequently turn into irritability which could cause you to socially isolate yourself. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will often improve your energy levels, reducing fatigue and exhaustion.
Your brain will compensate for slowly progressing hearing loss
Hearing loss is normally a gradually developing condition that gets worse over time. You may not even recognize that you have a hearing loss at first. 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 fatigue. You might feel tired no matter how much rest you got the night before. This symptom, unfortunately, isn’t typically associated with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause happens in your brain. Your brain has to work extra hard to process sound due to the loss of your ability to hear, which can leave you fatigued. This continual extra work is taxing in the same way that long periods of concentration can take a toll. Your ability to complete daily tasks and your overall quality of life can be considerably impacted over time as your untreated hearing loss grows worse.
The role of stigma
So when people start to feel tired, why wouldn’t they simply visit a hearing specialist? There are several explanations: frequently people are busy or thinking about other things. But there’s another reason that may ultimately be more detrimental: stigma. Individuals 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 prevent many individuals from finding treatment.
However, as more people are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has begun to fade. Many individuals understand that hearing loss is not some type of social failing, and the very small nature of modern hearing aids makes them easy to hide around people who unfortunately will not let go of this stigma.
It’s a shame 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 might not have to.
How to deal with hearing loss-associated fatigue
The earliest phases of hearing loss may not have any apparent symptoms. That’s why hearing specialists prefer to take a preventative approach instead of the far more challenging and less effective reactive approach. 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. Early treatment will be much more effective after we have determined that baseline.
If your hearing loss is causing fatigue, there are a few steps you can take to lessen that exhaustion as much as possible. Some of the simplest and most common measures include the following:
- Give yourself a rest in between conversations: In between conversation, take a quiet rest somewhere. This can help your brain recuperate from all the work it’s doing and make everyday communication a bit more sustainable.
- See a hearing specialist: Keeping an eye on the condition of your hearing is essential. Consulting a hearing specialist can help you detect hearing loss in its early stages when it’s less of a problem and your brain doesn’t have to work as hard to compensate.
- Try to find more quiet, secluded spots for conversations: 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 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 you can: Hearing aids are manufactured to help you focus on the sounds of human speech, meaning conversation will be significantly easier to make out when you are hearing them. This means you won’t be as fatigued because your brain won’t need to work so hard.
It’s most likely time to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing exhaustion with no obvious cause. 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.