There are numerous potential causes of tiredness, everything from the inability to sleep at night to respiratory issues like sleep apnea. But many people are surprised to learn that chronic fatigue and exhaustion can also be a result of something fairly common: hearing loss.
That’s at least partly due to the fact that hearing loss normally develops gradually over time. You may 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. Additionally, this exhaustion can often lead to irritability and, eventually, social isolation. Luckily, your energy levels will typically increase once you get your hearing loss treated.
Hearing loss moves slowly (and your brain compensates)
Hearing loss is typically a gradually advancing condition that gets worse over time. In its early phases, you probably won’t even detect that you’re developing hearing loss. If you’re not specifically watching for them, even obvious symptoms, like turning the volume on your audio devices way up, can be easy to miss.
Exhaustion is one of the most obvious symptoms of hearing loss. You might feel depleted no matter how much rest you got the night before. This symptom, unfortunately, isn’t usually associated with hearing loss.
Because the cause occurs in your brain, the symptoms aren’t usually considered an ear issue. Your brain has to work overtime to process sound because of the loss of your ability to hear, which can leave you fatigued. This continual extra work is taxing in the same way that prolonged periods of concentration can take a toll. Your ability to perform daily tasks and your overall quality of life can be significantly affected over time as your neglected hearing loss gets worse.
Stigma plays a role
So why don’t more individuals just consult a hearing specialist when they begin feeling tired? There are several explanations: frequently individuals are busy or thinking about other things. But the notion of stigma is another reason which can be even more damaging. People often feel as if others will think they’re old if they have hearing loss and that acknowledging it will ruin their lives. Individuals will frequently avoid seeking treatment because of these mistaken notions.
However, as more people are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has begun to fade. It’s becoming a more common understanding that hearing loss can happen to people of all ages and modern 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 resulting in more serious permanent hearing loss.
Solutions for hearing loss-related fatigue
There are often no obvious symptoms of early stage hearing loss. That makes it difficult to effectively take a reactive approach, and it’s why many hearing specialists prefer preventative approaches. Hearing specialists recommend regular 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. Early treatment will be much more effective once we have identified that baseline.
If your hearing loss is causing fatigue, there are a few steps you can take to minimize that exhaustion as much as possible. A few of the easiest and most common measures include the following:
- If you have hearing aids, wear them as often as possible: Hearing aids are designed to help you focus on the sounds of human speech, meaning conversation will be substantially easier to understand when you are hearing them. This means you won’t be as tired because your brain won’t have to work so hard.
- Try to have conversations in quieter places: Distinguishing voices from background noise can be challenging when you have hearing loss (often whether you’re wearing hearing aids or not). It will be easier, and less tiring, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter place.
- Consult a hearing specialist: It’s important to monitor your hearing health. Seeing a hearing specialist can help you detect hearing loss in its early stages when it’s less of a problem and your brain doesn’t need to work as hard to compensate.
- Give yourself a break in between conversations: In between conversation, take a quiet break somewhere. This can help your brain recover from all the work it’s doing and make everyday communication a bit more sustainable.
It’s most likely time to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing fatigue with no obvious cause. You can lessen your fatigue and boost your energy by treating your hearing loss. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re afraid of the stigma.