Tiredness can have a wide range of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory conditions 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 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 can be a frustrating experience. In addition, this exhaustion can often result in irritability and, ultimately, social isolation. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will often boost your energy levels, reducing fatigue and exhaustion.
Your brain will compensate for slowly developing hearing loss
For most people, hearing loss is a very gradually-progressing condition that gets worse over time. You may not even realize that you have a hearing impairment at first. Even common symptoms, like turning up the volume on your TV and smartphone, can be easy to miss if you’re not looking for them.
Fatigue is one of the most obvious symptoms of hearing loss. In spite of how much sleep you get, you could still feel exhausted. This symptom, regrettably, isn’t usually associated with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause occurs in your brain. When your ears aren’t receiving as much information, your brain works overtime to comprehend it all. In the same way as sustained periods of intense concentration can leave you worn out, the additional brain power required 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 complete daily routine tasks.
Stigma plays a role
So why don’t more people just consult a hearing specialist when they start feeling tired? One partial explanation is that people just don’t associate tiredness with hearing loss. But there’s another reason that might ultimately be more damaging: stigma. There’s an impression that hearing loss is bad or ruins your life or that there’s nothing that can be done about it. All of these things are false, and they prevent many individuals from finding treatment.
However, as more individuals are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has started to fade. It’s becoming a more common 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 see them.
It’s unfortunate that this social stigma can make it harder for individuals to find the care they need because this often leads to hearing loss that gets worse over time when it might not have to.
How to manage hearing loss-associated fatigue
The earliest stages of hearing loss may not have any apparent symptoms. That’s why hearing specialists prefer to take a preventative approach rather than the far more difficult and less effective reactive approach. For example, scheduling routine 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 a lot more effective once we have identified that baseline.
You can minimize hearing loss associated exhaustion by taking a few proactive measures. Here are several of the most common and simplest steps:
- Take breaks from conversations: In between conversation, take a quiet break somewhere. This can help your brain recuperate from all the work it’s doing and make everyday communication a bit more sustainable.
- Consult a hearing specialist: It’s important to monitor your hearing health. Seeing a hearing specialist can help you identify hearing loss in its early stages when it’s less of a problem and your brain doesn’t need 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 difficult to sort out voices, even with hearing aids in some instances. It will be easier, and less exhausting, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter area.
- If you have hearing aids, wear them as often 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 tired because your brain won’t have to work so hard.
So if you’re experiencing an abnormal amount of exhaustion and tiredness, with no apparent cause, it may be time to schedule 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.
