Fatigue can have a wide range of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory conditions such as sleep apnea. But many individuals are surprised to learn that chronic fatigue and exhaustion can also be caused by something relatively common: hearing loss.
That’s at least partly because of the fact that hearing loss normally progresses gradually over time. You might find yourself continuously fatigued for no apparent reason because you failed to detect the symptoms of early hearing loss. This experience can be really frustrating. Additionally, this exhaustion can frequently result in irritability and, ultimately, social isolation. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will frequently improve your energy levels, mitigating fatigue and exhaustion.
Hearing loss progresses gradually (and your brain compensates)
For the majority of people, hearing loss is a very slow-moving condition that gets worse over time. You may not even recognize that you have a hearing impairment at first. 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 miss.
One of the harder to miss symptoms of hearing loss is often exhaustion. You may feel depleted no matter how much sleep you got the night before. This symptom, unfortunately, isn’t usually associated with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause occurs in your brain. Your brain has to work overtime to process sound due to the loss of your ability to hear, which can leave you exhausted. This constant extra work is taxing in the same way that prolonged periods of concentration can take a toll. Left untreated, this exhaustion can grow worse over time, affecting your quality of life and your ability to execute daily routine tasks.
Stigma plays a role
So when individuals begin to feel tired, why wouldn’t they simply go see a hearing specialist? There are many explanations: often people are busy or thinking about other things. But there’s another reason that may ultimately be more damaging: stigma. There’s a feeling 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 people from seeking treatment.
However, this stigma is beginning to disappear as more individuals become open to their hearing loss. Many individuals 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 sadly will not get over this stigma.
Regrettably, this perception of social stigma can cause people in the early stages of hearing loss to avoid getting the treatment they need leading to more severe permanent hearing loss.
Solutions for hearing loss-related fatigue
The earliest stages of hearing loss might not have any noticeable symptoms. That’s why hearing specialists prefer to take a preventative strategy instead of the far more difficult and less effective reactive approach. Hearing specialists recommend regular screenings in order to create 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 a lot more effective after we have determined that baseline.
You can lessen hearing loss related exhaustion by taking a few proactive steps. A few of the easiest and most common measures include the following:
- Give yourself a break in between conversations: In between conversation, take a quiet rest somewhere. Your brain is working overtime to engage in conversation and brief breaks will make that more sustainable.
- Be sure you use your hearing aids as often as you can: One of the primary functions of hearing aids is to clarify human speech, making understanding conversations much easier. This means you won’t be as tired because your brain won’t need to work so hard.
- Try to locate more quiet, secluded areas for conversations: Distinguishing voices from background noise can be difficult when you have hearing loss (often whether you’re wearing hearing aids or not). Moving conversations to a location with less background noise can make it easier for your brain to focus on the voice you’re attempting to hear, reducing fatigue in the process.
- Consult a hearing specialist: Keeping an eye on the condition of your hearing is important. When hearing loss is in its early phases, your brain doesn’t need to work as hard as it does when the condition gets worse, and a hearing specialist can identify hearing loss when it first begins to develop.
It’s probably time to make an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing exhaustion with no apparent cause. You can minimize your fatigue and boost your energy by treating your hearing loss. Don’t let stigma cause your hearing loss to continue to be untreated.
