There are numerous potential causes of tiredness, everything from the inability to sleep at night to respiratory issues like 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 gradually-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 really frustrating. Additionally, this exhaustion can often result in irritability and, eventually, social isolation. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will frequently improve your energy levels, reducing tiredness and exhaustion.
Hearing loss moves gradually (and your brain compensates)
For the majority of people, hearing loss is a very slow-moving condition that grows worse over time. In its early stages, you probably won’t even notice that you’re developing hearing loss. 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.
Fatigue is one of the most noticeable symptoms of hearing loss. You might feel depleted no matter how much sleep you got the night before. Regrettably, many people don’t intuitively link this symptom with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause occurs in your brain. When your ears aren’t receiving as much information, your brain works harder to comprehend it all. In the same way as extended periods of intense concentration can leave you worn out, the extra brain power needed to hear what people are saying can be exhausting. Your ability to perform daily tasks and your overall quality of life can be considerably impacted over time as your neglected hearing loss gets worse.
The role of stigma
So why don’t more individuals just consult a hearing specialist when they start feeling tired? One partial explanation is that individuals just don’t associate fatigue with hearing loss. But there’s another reason that may ultimately be more damaging: stigma. There’s an impression that hearing loss is bad 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 disappear. It’s becoming a more prevalent understanding that hearing loss can happen to people of all ages and today’s hearing aids are small enough that the few people who can’t let go of 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 leading to more serious permanent hearing loss.
Treatment options for hearing loss-related fatigue
There are often no obvious symptoms of early stage hearing loss. That makes it challenging to effectively take a reactive approach, and it’s why many hearing specialists favor preventative approaches. For instance, scheduling routine screenings with a hearing specialist before you detect symptoms can help create a baseline of what your healthy hearing looks like. Early treatment will be a lot more effective once we have determined that baseline.
You can minimize hearing loss related exhaustion by taking a few proactive steps. Some of the easiest and most common measures include the following:
- Schedule a consultation with a hearing specialist: It’s important to monitor your hearing health. Visiting a hearing specialist can help you identify hearing loss in its early stages when it’s less of an issue and your brain doesn’t need to work as hard to compensate.
- Try to find more quiet, secluded places for conversations: 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 fatiguing, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter area.
- Take breaks from conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and refresh in between conversations. Your brain is working overtime to take part in conversation and brief rests will make that more sustainable.
- Be sure you wear your hearing aids as frequently as you can: One of the primary 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 will not experience the same degree of fatigue.
It’s most likely time to make an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing fatigue with no evident cause. Treating hearing loss can help you reduce your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re concerned about the stigma.