There are numerous potential causes of exhaustion, everything from the inability to sleep at night to respiratory problems like sleep apnea. But there is something more common that can also cause fatigue and that’s hearing loss.
That’s at least partially due to the fact that hearing loss usually develops gradually over time. You may find yourself constantly fatigued for no apparent reason because you failed to detect the symptoms of early hearing loss. This experience can be really frustrating. This exhaustion can often turn into irritability which could cause you to socially isolate yourself. Fortunately, your energy levels will normally improve once you get your hearing loss treated.
Hearing loss progresses slowly (and your brain compensates)
For the majority of individuals, hearing loss is a very gradually-progressing condition that grows worse over time. In its early stages, you likely won’t even notice that you’re developing hearing loss. If you aren’t specifically watching for them, even obvious symptoms, like turning the volume on your audio devices way up, can be easy to overlook.
Exhaustion is one of the most noticeable symptoms of hearing loss. In spite of how much sleep you get, you could still feel exhausted. This symptom, unfortunately, isn’t usually associated with hearing loss.
Because the cause takes place in your brain, the symptoms aren’t generally considered an ear problem. When your ears aren’t receiving as much information, your brain works overtime to make sense of it all. 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, impacting your quality of life and your ability to complete daily routine activities.
Stigma plays a role
So when people begin to feel fatigue, why wouldn’t they simply go see a hearing specialist? One partial reason is that people just don’t associate tiredness with hearing loss. But there’s another reason that might inevitably be more damaging: stigma. Individuals frequently feel as if others will think they’re old if they have hearing loss and that admitting it will ruin their lives. People will often avoid pursuing treatment because of these false notions.
However, as more individuals are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has started to disappear. Many individuals understand that hearing loss isn’t 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.
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 may not need to.
How to manage hearing loss-associated fatigue
The earliest stages of hearing loss might not have any noticeable symptoms. That makes it challenging to effectively take a reactive strategy, and it’s why many hearing specialists favor preventative approaches. Hearing specialists recommend routine screenings in order to establish a baseline of your healthy hearing, that way they will be able to identify changes to your hearing in later screenings. Once this baseline is achieved, early intervention is often much more effective.
If your hearing loss is causing fatigue, there are a few steps you can take to lessen that exhaustion as much as possible. Here are several of the most common and easiest steps:
- Schedule a consultation with 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 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.
- Take breaks from conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and recharge in between conversations. Your brain is working extra hard to engage in conversation and brief rests will make that more sustainable.
- Be certain you wear your hearing aids as frequently 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 fatigued because your brain won’t need to work so hard.
- Try to have conversations in quieter areas: 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 exhausting, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter area.
It’s most likely time to make an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing exhaustion with no obvious cause. Treating hearing loss can help you lessen your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t let stigma cause your hearing loss to continue to be untreated.
