If you suffer from hearing loss or strain your hearing to make sense of conversations, you may find yourself low on energy. The body exerts extra energy to compensate when you have a hearing deficit and this can leave those with untreated hearing withdrawn and low on energy.
Work and social interactions can be taxing even for the able hearing, and engaging the brain for long periods of time can often lead to mental exhaustion. Now, consider how exhausting it is for someone trying to concentrate on what is being said by straining their limited hearing or by lip reading.
Why does listening exhaust us?
It may seem silly that listening alone can be an exhausting task but there is science behind it. Three separate areas of the brain are needed to interpret and produce speech: Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area and Temporal lobe. These parts work seamlessly together for those with normal hearing but add in hearing loss and the brain has to work, think and concentrate even harder.
How hearing aids reduce listening fatigue
Once an audiologist has assigned a hearing aid to a patient, the user will notice an immediate impact. Hearing aids help to reduce the amount of energy spent listening and communicating by making it easier to hear sounds and speech in a variety of environments.
The brain will use less energy in understanding and following conversations because the hearing aid helps to restore the sounds that are missed.
Other ways of minimising listening fatigue
- Take breaks from sound
- Limit the amount of background noise when you are trying to concentrate
- Find alternatives to unnecessary use of your hearing e.g. read instead of watching TV
- Remove yourself from busy, loud areas e.g. eat your lunch outside instead of in busy lunchrooms
Fatigue may seem like a minor issue in the grand scheme of things but it impacts more than just your sleep cycles. Being unable to take part in social events can lead to isolation and in extreme cases, depression.
If you have untreated hearing loss and find yourself fatigued, seek treatment as soon as possible – it could make all the difference in your energy levels and general wellbeing. The Hearing Centre is a specialist centre dedicated to solving hearing problems in Leicester.
Our centre provides a full spectrum of hearing services that could help with your hearing loss fatigue: hearing tests, hearing aid fittings, wax removal, tinnitus treatments, noise protection and swimming protection.
To book your hearing test click here or call us today on 0116 254 3909.