Fatigue can have a wide variety of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory conditions such as sleep apnea. But many people are surprised to learn that chronic fatigue and exhaustion can also be caused by something relatively common: hearing loss.
In part, that’s because hearing loss can be a gradually-moving, subtle condition. You might find yourself constantly exhausted for no apparent reason because you failed to recognize the symptoms of early hearing loss. This experience can be really frustrating. In addition, this exhaustion can frequently result in irritability and, ultimately, social isolation. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will frequently boost your energy levels, reducing fatigue and exhaustion.
Hearing loss progresses gradually (and your brain compensates)
Hearing loss is typically a gradually progressing condition that gets worse over time. In its early stages, you probably 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 miss.
One of the harder to miss symptoms of hearing loss is often fatigue. You may feel depleted no matter how much sleep you got the night before. Regrettably, many people don’t instinctively associate this symptom with hearing loss.
Because the cause occurs in your brain, the symptoms aren’t usually considered an ear issue. When your ears aren’t getting as much information, your brain works overtime to make sense of it all. In the same way as sustained periods of intense concentration can leave you fatigued, the additional brain power needed to hear what people are saying can be exhausting. Left neglected, this fatigue can grow worse over time, impacting your quality of life and your ability to perform daily routine activities.
Stigma plays a role
So why don’t more people just consult a hearing specialist when they start feeling fatigued? One partial reason is that people just don’t associate fatigue with hearing loss. But the notion of stigma is another reason which can be even more damaging. People often feel like others will think they’re old if they have hearing loss and that acknowledging it will ruin their lives. All of these things are untrue, and they stop many individuals from seeking treatment.
However, this stigma is starting to disappear as more people become open to their hearing loss. Many people understand that hearing loss is not some type of social failing, and the very small nature of modern hearing aids makes them easy to hide around people who unfortunately will not get over this stigma.
It’s unfortunate that this social stigma can make it harder for people to find the care they need because this often results in hearing loss that grows worse over time when it may not have to.
How to deal with hearing loss-associated fatigue
There are frequently no apparent symptoms of early phase hearing loss. That makes it difficult to effectively take a reactive approach, and it’s why many hearing specialists prefer preventative techniques. Hearing specialists advocate for 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 subsequent screenings. Early treatment will be much more effective after we have determined that baseline.
You can lessen hearing loss related exhaustion by taking a few proactive measures. A few of the easiest and most common steps include the following:
- Be sure you wear your hearing aids as frequently as you can: One of the main functions of hearing aids is to clarify human speech, making understanding conversations much easier. This means your brain won’t need to work as hard and you will not experience the same amount of fatigue.
- Schedule a consultation with a hearing specialist: It’s important to keep tabs on your hearing health. When hearing loss is in its early stages, your brain doesn’t have to work as hard as it does when the condition worsens, and a hearing specialist can diagnose hearing loss when it first begins to develop.
- Take breaks from conversations: In between conversation, take a quiet rest somewhere. Your brain is working overtime to engage in conversation and brief rests will make that more sustainable.
- Try to have conversations in quieter areas: When there is a lot of background noise, it can be challenging to sort out voices, even with hearing aids in some circumstances. Moving conversations to an area with less background noise can make it easier for your brain to focus on the voice you’re trying to hear, reducing fatigue in the process.
It’s probably time to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing fatigue with no apparent cause. You can reduce your fatigue and boost your energy by treating your hearing loss. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re afraid of the stigma.
