Tiredness can have a wide range of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory conditions such as sleep apnea. But there is something more common that can also be the cause of tiredness and that’s hearing loss.
To some extent, that’s because hearing loss can be a gradually-moving, subtle condition. You might not immediately distinguish the symptoms and, as a result, you might feel as though you’re constantly tired for no reason. This can be a frustrating experience. In addition, this exhaustion can frequently lead to irritability and, eventually, social isolation. The good news is that treating your hearing loss will frequently improve your energy levels, mitigating tiredness and exhaustion.
Your brain will compensate for gradually progressing hearing loss
For the majority of individuals, hearing loss is a very slow-moving condition that grows 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 conspicuous symptoms, like turning the volume on your audio devices way up, can be easy to miss.
Fatigue is one of the most noticeable symptoms of hearing loss. Regardless of how much sleep you get, you could still feel fatigued. Regrettably, many individuals don’t instinctively connect this symptom with hearing loss.
Because the cause happens in your brain, the symptoms aren’t usually considered an ear issue. 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. Your ability to complete daily tasks and your general quality of life can be substantially affected over time as your untreated hearing loss grows worse.
Stigma plays a role
So when individuals start to feel tired, why wouldn’t they simply consult a hearing specialist? One partial reason is that individuals just don’t connect fatigue with hearing loss. But there’s another reason that might inevitably be more detrimental: stigma. There’s a feeling that hearing loss is terrible or ruins your life or that there’s nothing that can be done about it. Individuals will frequently avoid pursuing treatment because of these false notions.
However, as more individuals are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has started to fade. It’s becoming a more prevalent understanding that hearing loss can happen to individuals of all ages and modern hearing aids are small enough that the few people who can’t get over this stigma won’t even see them.
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.
Treatment options for hearing loss-related fatigue
There are often no obvious symptoms of early stage hearing loss. That makes it challenging to effectively take a reactive strategy, and it’s why many hearing specialists prefer preventative approaches. Hearing specialists recommend routine screenings in order to create 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 a lot more effective after we have determined that baseline.
You can lessen hearing loss related exhaustion by taking a few proactive measures. Here are a few of the most prevalent and easiest steps:
- Take breaks from conversations: In between conversation, take a quiet rest somewhere. This can help your brain recuperate from all the work it’s doing and make everyday communication a bit more sustainable.
- Try to have conversations in quieter spots: When there is a lot of background noise, it can be difficult 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 attempting to hear, lessening fatigue in the process.
- Schedule a consultation with a hearing specialist: Keeping an eye on the status of your hearing is important. 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 identify hearing loss when it first begins to develop.
- If you have hearing aids, wear them as often as possible: 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.
So if you’re feeling an unusual amount of fatigue and tiredness, with no apparent cause, it might be time to plan a visit to your hearing specialist. Treating hearing loss can help you lessen your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re afraid of the stigma.