Tiredness can have a variety of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory problems like sleep apnea. But many people are surprised to learn that persistent tiredness and exhaustion can also be due to something relatively common: hearing loss.
To some extent, that’s because hearing loss can be a gradually-moving, subtle condition. You might find yourself constantly fatigued for no apparent reason because you failed to recognize the symptoms of early hearing loss. This can be a frustrating experience. Additionally, this exhaustion can frequently result in irritability and, eventually, social isolation. Fortunately, your energy levels will usually improve once you get your hearing loss treated.
Your brain will compensate for slowly developing hearing loss
Hearing loss is usually a gradually developing condition that grows worse over time. You may not even realize that you have a hearing impairment at first. Even prevalent symptoms, like cranking the volume up on your TV and smartphone, can be easy to miss if you aren’t watching for them.
One of the more difficult to miss symptoms of hearing loss is often exhaustion. Regardless of how much sleep you get, you could still feel fatigued. 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 getting as much information, your brain works harder to make sense of it all. This continual extra work is taxing in the same way that prolonged periods of concentration can take a toll. Left untreated, this exhaustion can grow worse over time, impacting your quality of life and your ability to complete daily routine tasks.
The role of stigma
So when people start to feel fatigue, why wouldn’t they simply visit a hearing specialist? There are many explanations: often individuals are busy or thinking about other things. But the perception of stigma is another cause which can be even more detrimental. People frequently feel like others will think they’re old if they have hearing loss and that admitting it will ruin their lives. 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. Many individuals understand that hearing loss isn’t some kind of social failing, and the very small construction of modern hearing aids makes them easy to hide around people who unfortunately will not let go of this stigma.
It’s unfortunate that this social stigma can make it harder for people to find the care they need because this often leads to hearing loss that grows worse over time when it may not need to.
Treatment options for hearing loss-related fatigue
The earliest phases of hearing loss may not have any noticeable symptoms. That’s why hearing specialists prefer to take a preventative strategy rather than the far more challenging and less effective reactive method. For example, scheduling routine screenings with a hearing specialist before you notice symptoms can help establish a baseline of what your healthy hearing looks like. Once this baseline is established, early intervention is often far more effective.
If your hearing loss is causing fatigue, there are some steps you can take to minimize that exhaustion as much as possible. Here are several of the most prevalent and easiest steps:
- See a hearing specialist: It’s important to monitor your hearing health. When hearing loss is in its early phases, your brain doesn’t need 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 use hearing aids, wear them as often as you can: One of the main functions of hearing aids is to clarify human speech, making understanding conversations a lot easier. This means you won’t be as tired because your brain won’t need to work so hard.
- Give yourself a break in between conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and recharge in between conversations. This can help your brain recover from all the work it’s doing and make everyday communication a little more sustainable.
- Try to have conversations in quieter places: Sorting out voices from background noise can be difficult when you have hearing loss (often whether you’re using hearing aids or not). It will be easier, and less fatiguing, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter area.
It’s probably time to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist if you’re experiencing fatigue with no obvious cause. Treating hearing loss can help you reduce your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t neglect your hearing loss because you’re afraid of the stigma.
