There are numerous possible causes of fatigue, everything from being unable to sleep at night to respiratory issues 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 are constantly tired for no reason. This can be a frustrating experience. This fatigue can often turn into irritability which could cause you to socially isolate yourself. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will often boost your energy levels, reducing fatigue and exhaustion.
Hearing loss progresses slowly (and your brain compensates)
For most individuals, hearing loss is a very gradually-progressing condition that gets worse over time. You may not even realize that you have a hearing loss at first. If you aren’t specifically watching for them, even conspicuous symptoms, like cranking the volume on your audio devices way up, can be easy to miss.
One of the more difficult to miss symptoms of hearing loss is often exhaustion. You might feel tired no matter how much rest you got the night before. Unfortunately, many people don’t instinctively link this symptom with hearing loss.
That’s because the cause takes place in your brain. When your ears aren’t receiving as much information, your brain works harder to comprehend it all. This constant extra work is taxing in the same way that long periods of concentration can take a toll. Left untreated, this fatigue can grow worse over time, impacting your quality of life and your ability to complete daily routine activities.
Stigma plays a role
So when individuals begin to feel fatigue, why wouldn’t they just visit a hearing specialist? There are several explanations: frequently individuals are busy or thinking about other things. But the perception of stigma is another cause which can be even more detrimental. 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 disappear. Many people understand that hearing loss isn’t some type of social failing, and the very small nature of modern hearing aids makes them easy to hide around folks who unfortunately will not let go of this stigma.
Unfortunately, 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.
How to deal with hearing loss-associated fatigue
The earliest stages of hearing loss might not have any evident symptoms. That makes it difficult to effectively take a reactive strategy, and it’s why many hearing specialists favor preventative approaches. For example, 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 identified that baseline.
You can lessen hearing loss associated exhaustion by taking a few proactive steps. A few of the simplest and most common steps include the following:
- If you have hearing aids, wear them as often as possible: Hearing aids are manufactured to help you focus on the sounds of human speech, meaning conversation will be considerably easier to understand when you are hearing them. This means you won’t be as tired because your brain won’t need to work so hard.
- Take breaks from conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and recharge in between conversations. Your brain is working overtime to engage in conversation and brief breaks will make that more sustainable.
- Consult 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.
- Try to have conversations in quieter areas: When there is a lot of background noise, it can be difficult to sort out voices, even with hearing aids in some circumstances. It will be easier, and less tiring, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter location.
So if you’re experiencing an unusual amount of exhaustion and tiredness, with no discernible cause, it might be time to schedule a visit to your hearing specialist. You can reduce your fatigue and boost your energy by treating your hearing loss. Don’t let stigma cause your hearing loss to continue to be neglected.