Tiredness can have a variety of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory conditions such as sleep apnea. But there is something more common that can also cause tiredness and that’s hearing loss.
In part, that’s because hearing loss can be a slow-moving, subtle condition. You might find yourself continuously exhausted for no apparent reason because you failed to recognize the symptoms of early hearing loss. This experience can be very frustrating. Additionally, this exhaustion can often result in irritability and, ultimately, social isolation. Luckily, your energy levels will normally improve once you get your hearing loss treated.
Your brain will compensate for gradually developing hearing loss
For the majority of individuals, hearing loss is a very slow-moving condition that gets worse over time. You may not even realize that you have a hearing impairment at first. If you’re not specifically watching for them, even conspicuous symptoms, like cranking the volume on your audio devices way up, can be easy to miss.
Fatigue is one of the most noticeable symptoms of hearing loss. You may feel depleted no matter how much sleep you got the night before. This symptom, regrettably, isn’t usually associated with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause happens in your brain. Your brain has to work overtime to process sound because of the loss of your ability to hear, which can leave you fatigued. This constant extra work is taxing in the same way that long periods of concentration can take a toll. Left neglected, this fatigue can get worse over time, affecting your quality of life and your ability to complete daily routine activities.
Stigma plays a role
So when individuals start to feel tired, why wouldn’t they simply visit a hearing specialist? One partial reason is that people just don’t associate fatigue with hearing loss. But there’s another reason that might inevitably be more damaging: stigma. There’s a feeling that hearing loss is terrible 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 people are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has started to fade. Many people understand that hearing loss is not some type of social failing, and the very small construction 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 frequently leads to hearing loss that grows worse over time when it may not have to.
Solutions for hearing loss-related fatigue
The earliest stages 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 favor preventative techniques. Hearing specialists advocate for regular screenings in order to establish a baseline of your healthy hearing, that way they will be able to identify changes to your hearing in later screenings. Early treatment will be much more effective after we have identified that baseline.
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 prevalent and simplest steps:
- 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 a problem and your brain doesn’t have to work as hard to compensate.
- 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 a lot easier. This means you won’t be as fatigued because your brain won’t need to work so hard.
- Give yourself a rest in between conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and recharge in between conversations. This can help your brain recover from all the work it’s doing and make day-to-day communication a bit more sustainable.
- Try to have conversations in quieter places: Sorting out voices from background noise can be challenging when you have hearing loss (often whether you’re using hearing aids or not). It will be easier, and less exhausting, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter location.
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 lessen your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re afraid of the stigma.