Tiredness can have a variety of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory problems such as sleep apnea. But many people are surprised to learn that persistent tiredness and exhaustion can also be a result of something fairly common: hearing loss.
To some extent, that’s because hearing loss can be a slow-moving, subtle condition. You may find yourself constantly exhausted for no apparent reason because you failed to detect the symptoms of early hearing loss. This can be a frustrating experience. This exhaustion can often turn into irritability which could cause you to socially isolate yourself. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will often boost your energy levels, reducing fatigue and exhaustion.
Hearing loss moves slowly (and your brain compensates)
For the majority of individuals, hearing loss is a very gradually-progressing condition that gets worse over time. In its early phases, you probably won’t even notice that you’re developing hearing loss. Even prevalent symptoms, like turning up the volume on your TV and smartphone, can be easy to miss if you aren’t looking for them.
One of the more difficult to miss symptoms of hearing loss is often exhaustion. Regardless of how much sleep you get, you could still feel fatigued. This symptom, regrettably, isn’t usually associated with hearing loss.
Because the cause happens in your brain, the symptoms aren’t generally considered an ear issue. When your ears aren’t getting as much information, your brain works harder to make sense of it all. In the same way as prolonged periods of intense concentration can leave you fatigued, the additional brain power needed to hear what people are saying can be exhausting. Left untreated, this fatigue can get worse over time, affecting your quality of life and your ability to perform daily routine activities.
Stigma plays a role
So why don’t more people just go see a hearing specialist when they begin feeling fatigued? One partial explanation is that individuals just don’t connect fatigue with hearing loss. But the perception of stigma is another cause which can be even more detrimental. Individuals often feel as if others will think they’re old if they have hearing loss and that admitting it will ruin their lives. Individuals will frequently avoid seeking treatment because of these false notions.
However, this stigma is beginning to disappear as more people become open to their hearing loss. Many people understand that hearing loss is not some kind of social failing, and the very small construction of modern hearing aids makes them easy to hide around people who sadly will not get over this stigma.
Regrettably, this perception of social stigma can cause people in the early stages of hearing loss to put off on getting the treatment they need leading to more severe permanent hearing loss.
How to manage hearing loss-associated fatigue
There are frequently no apparent symptoms of early phase hearing loss. That makes it difficult to effectively take a reactive strategy, and it’s why many hearing specialists prefer preventative approaches. Hearing specialists recommend regular 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 determined that baseline.
You can lessen hearing loss associated exhaustion by taking a few proactive measures. Here are several of the most common and simplest steps:
- If you have hearing aids, wear them as frequently as you can: One of the main functions of hearing aids is to clarify human speech, making understanding conversations much easier. This means your brain won’t have to work as hard and you won’t experience the same degree of fatigue.
- Try to find more quiet, secluded areas 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. It will be easier, and less exhausting, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter area.
- Schedule an assessment with a hearing specialist: Keeping an eye on the status of your hearing is important. When hearing loss is in its early stages, your brain doesn’t have to work as hard as it does when the condition gets worse, and a hearing specialist can diagnose hearing loss when it first begins to develop.
- Give yourself a break in between conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and recharge in between conversations. This can help your brain recuperate from all the work it’s doing and make day-to-day communication a little more sustainable.
It’s most likely time to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing exhaustion with no obvious cause. 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.
