Tiredness can have a wide range of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory conditions like sleep apnea. But many people are surprised to learn that chronic tiredness and exhaustion can also be a result of something fairly common: hearing loss.
That’s at least partly because of the fact that hearing loss usually develops gradually over time. You might find yourself constantly exhausted for no apparent reason because you failed to detect the symptoms of early hearing loss. This experience can be really frustrating. This fatigue can frequently turn into irritability which could cause you to socially isolate yourself. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will frequently improve your energy levels, mitigating tiredness and exhaustion.
Your brain will compensate for slowly developing hearing loss
Hearing loss is usually a gradually developing condition that grows worse over time. In its early stages, you likely won’t even detect that you’re developing hearing loss. Even common symptoms, like turning the volume up on your TV and smartphone, can be easy to miss if you’re not watching for them.
Fatigue is one of the most obvious symptoms of hearing loss. In spite of how much rest you get, you could still feel fatigued. This symptom, regrettably, isn’t typically associated with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause takes place in your brain. Your brain has to work extra hard 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 fatigue can get worse over time, affecting your quality of life and your ability to complete daily routine tasks.
The role of stigma
So why don’t more people just consult a hearing specialist when they begin feeling tired? One partial explanation is that people just don’t connect tiredness with hearing loss. But there’s another reason that may inevitably be more damaging: stigma. There’s a feeling that hearing loss is terrible or ruins your life or that there’s nothing you can do about it. All of these things are false, and they stop many people from seeking treatment.
However, as more individuals are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has begun to disappear. Many people understand that hearing loss isn’t some kind of social failing, and the very small nature of modern hearing aids makes them easy to hide around people who unfortunately will not let go of this stigma.
Regrettably, this perception of social stigma can cause individuals in the early stages of hearing loss to put off on getting the treatment they need resulting in more serious permanent hearing loss.
How to manage hearing loss-associated fatigue
The earliest stages of hearing loss may not have any evident 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 advocate for routine screenings in order to create 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 a lot more effective once we have identified that baseline.
You can lessen hearing loss related exhaustion by taking a few proactive steps. Some of the simplest and most common measures include the following:
- Try to locate more quiet, isolated places for conversations: When there is a lot of background noise, it can be difficult to sort out voices, even with hearing aids in some cases. 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, minimizing fatigue in the process.
- Schedule an assessment with a hearing specialist: Keeping an eye on the condition of your hearing is essential. When hearing loss is in its early phases, 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 rest in between conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and refresh in between conversations. Your brain is working extra hard to engage in conversation and brief breaks will make that more sustainable.
- If you use hearing aids, wear them as often as you can: One of the chief 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 have to work so hard.
So if you’re dealing with an abnormal amount of fatigue and tiredness, with no discernible cause, it might be time to schedule a visit to your hearing specialist. Treating hearing loss can help you minimize your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re afraid of the stigma.
