There are numerous potential causes of tiredness, everything from being unable to sleep at night to respiratory problems like sleep apnea. But many individuals are surprised to find out that chronic tiredness and exhaustion can also be caused by something fairly common: hearing loss.
That’s at least partially because of the fact that hearing loss usually progresses 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 quite frustrating. This exhaustion can often turn into irritability which could cause you to socially seclude yourself. Fortunately, your energy levels will typically increase once you get your hearing loss treated.
Hearing loss moves gradually (and your brain compensates)
Hearing loss is normally a gradually advancing condition that grows worse over time. You may not even realize that you have a hearing impairment at first. Even common symptoms, like turning up the volume on your TV and smartphone, can be easy to miss if you aren’t watching for them.
Fatigue is one of the most obvious symptoms of hearing loss. Regardless of how much sleep you get, you could still feel exhausted. Regrettably, many people don’t instinctively connect this symptom with hearing loss.
Because the cause occurs in your brain, the symptoms aren’t generally considered an ear issue. Your brain has to work overtime to process sound due to the loss of your ability to hear, which can leave you exhausted. This continual extra work is exhausting in the same way that long periods of concentration can take a toll. Left neglected, this fatigue can get worse over time, impacting your quality of life and your ability to complete daily routine tasks.
Stigma plays a role
So when individuals start to feel tired, why wouldn’t they simply consult a hearing specialist? There are many explanations: frequently individuals are busy or thinking about other things. 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 seeking treatment because of these false notions.
However, as more individuals are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has begun to disappear. It’s becoming a more common 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 let go of this stigma won’t even notice them.
It’s a shame that this social stigma can make it harder for people to find the care they need because this frequently leads to hearing loss that gets worse over time when it may not need to.
How to deal with hearing loss-associated fatigue
The earliest phases of hearing loss might not have any apparent symptoms. That’s why hearing specialists prefer to take a preventative strategy instead of the far more challenging and less effective reactive approach. Hearing specialists recommend regular screenings in order to create a baseline of your healthy hearing, that way they will be capable of identifying changes to your hearing in subsequent screenings. Once this baseline is established, early intervention is often much more effective.
You can lessen hearing loss associated exhaustion by taking a few proactive steps. Here are a few of the most prevalent and easiest steps:
- 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 you won’t be as tired because your brain won’t have to work so hard.
- Take breaks from conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and recharge in between conversations. This can help your brain recuperate from all the work it’s doing and make everyday communication a bit more sustainable.
- Schedule a consultation with 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 gets worse, and a hearing specialist can diagnose hearing loss when it first begins to develop.
- Try to find more quiet, secluded places for conversations: When there is a lot of background noise, it can be challenging to sort out voices, even with hearing aids in some cases. It will be easier, and less fatiguing, to understand conversations if you move them to a quieter spot.
So if you’re experiencing an unusual amount of exhaustion and tiredness, with no apparent cause, it might be time to schedule a visit to your hearing specialist. You can reduce your fatigue and boost your energy by treating your hearing loss. Don’t let stigma cause your hearing loss to continue to be untreated.