There are a number of possible causes of tiredness, everything from not being able to sleep at night to respiratory problems 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 might 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. This exhaustion 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 tiredness and exhaustion.
Your brain will compensate for gradually developing hearing loss
Hearing loss is typically a gradually progressing condition that grows worse over time. In its early phases, you probably won’t even notice that you’re developing hearing loss. If you’re not specifically watching for them, even obvious symptoms, like turning the volume on your audio devices way up, can be easy to miss.
One of the harder to miss symptoms of hearing loss is often fatigue. You might feel tired no matter how much sleep you got the night before. Regrettably, many individuals don’t intuitively associate this symptom with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause takes place in your brain. Your brain has to work extra hard to process sound because of the loss of your ability to hear, which can leave you exhausted. In the same way as prolonged periods of intense concentration can leave you worn out, the additional brain power needed to hear what people are saying can be exhausting. Left neglected, this exhaustion can get worse over time, impacting your quality of life and your ability to perform daily routine activities.
Stigma plays a role
So why don’t more individuals just go see a hearing specialist when they start feeling fatigued? There are several explanations: often individuals are busy or thinking about other things. But there’s another reason that might inevitably be more detrimental: 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 false notions.
However, this stigma is beginning to disappear as more people become open to their hearing loss. It’s becoming a more prevalent understanding that hearing loss can happen to people of all ages and modern hearing aids are discreet enough that the few people who can’t get over this stigma won’t even notice them.
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 resulting in more severe permanent hearing loss.
How to deal with hearing loss-associated fatigue
The earliest phases of hearing loss may not have any evident symptoms. That makes it difficult to effectively take a reactive strategy, and it’s why many hearing specialists prefer preventative techniques. For example, scheduling regular screenings with a hearing specialist before you detect symptoms can help establish a baseline of what your healthy hearing looks like. Early treatment will be much more effective once 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. A few of the simplest and most common steps include the following:
- Try to have conversations in quieter places: Distinguishing 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 tiring, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter location.
- Take breaks from 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 bit more sustainable.
- Be certain you use your hearing aids 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 you won’t be as fatigued because your brain won’t have to work so hard.
- Consult a hearing specialist: It’s important to keep tabs on your hearing health. 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.
So if you’re feeling an abnormal amount of exhaustion and tiredness, with no evident cause, it might be time to plan a visit to your hearing specialist. Treating hearing loss can help you reduce your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re afraid of the stigma.