Fatigue can have a wide range of causes, ranging from a simple sleepless night to respiratory problems like sleep apnea. But many people are surprised to find out that chronic fatigue and exhaustion can also be caused by something fairly common: hearing loss.
That’s at least partly due to the fact that hearing loss normally progresses gradually over time. You might find yourself continuously exhausted 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 often result in irritability and, eventually, social isolation. Fortunately, your energy levels will normally increase once you get your hearing loss treated.
Hearing loss moves gradually (and your brain compensates)
Hearing loss is usually a slowly progressing condition that grows worse over time. In its early stages, you probably won’t even notice that you’re developing hearing loss. Even prevalent symptoms, like turning up the volume on your TV and smartphone, can be easy to miss if you’re not looking for them.
One of the more difficult to miss symptoms of hearing loss is often fatigue. You might feel tired no matter how much rest you got the night before. Regrettably, many individuals don’t intuitively associate this symptom with hearing loss.
Because the cause takes place in your brain, the symptoms aren’t generally considered an ear problem. When your ears aren’t getting as much information, your brain works overtime to comprehend it all. In the same way as extended periods of intense concentration can leave you fatigued, the additional brain power needed to hear what people are saying can be exhausting. Your ability to complete daily tasks and your general quality of life can be considerably impacted over time as your neglected hearing loss gets worse.
Stigma plays a role
So when people begin to feel fatigue, why wouldn’t they just consult 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 damaging. Individuals often feel as if others will think they’re old if they have hearing loss and that acknowledging it will ruin their lives. All of these things are false, and they prevent many people from finding treatment.
However, as more individuals are open about their hearing loss experience, the stigma has begun to fade. Many people understand that hearing loss isn’t some type of social failing, and the very small nature of modern hearing aids makes them easy to hide around folks who unfortunately will not get over this stigma.
Regrettably, this perception of social stigma can cause individuals 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 noticeable symptoms of early phase hearing loss. That’s why hearing specialists prefer to take a preventative strategy rather than the far more difficult and less effective reactive approach. 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 later screenings. Early treatment will be much more effective once we have identified that baseline.
If your hearing loss is causing fatigue, there are some steps you can take to minimize that exhaustion as much as possible. Some of the easiest and most common steps include the following:
- Schedule an assessment with a hearing specialist: It’s important to keep tabs on your hearing health. Seeing a hearing specialist can help you identify hearing loss in its early stages when it’s less of a problem and your brain doesn’t have to work as hard to compensate.
- Be sure you wear your hearing aids as often as you can: Hearing aids are manufactured 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 need to work so hard.
- Take breaks from conversations: Give yourself some quiet time to rest and recharge in between conversations. Your brain is working extra hard to take part in conversation and brief breaks will make that more sustainable.
- Try to locate more quiet, secluded spots for conversations: Sorting out voices from background noise can be difficult when you have hearing loss (often whether you’re using hearing aids or not). 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, reducing fatigue in the process.
So if you’re feeling an abnormal amount of fatigue and tiredness, with no evident cause, it might be time to plan a visit to your hearing specialist. Treating hearing loss can help you reduce your exhaustion and boost your energy. Don’t let stigma cause your hearing loss to continue to be neglected.