Fatigue and Hearing Loss: Investigating the Connection

Do you sometimes feel extra tired, or run down? Sometimes you may feel as though you would rather avoid social occasions so you can lie down and rest. While there are a lot of factors that can cause you to feel like this, one of them may surprise you. Studies have been done and they have found that those who are aged 50 and over were much more likely to report depression, paranoia and anxiety if they have untreated hearing loss. They are also much less likely to participate in social activities. If you want to find out more about hearing loss and listening fatigue and how you could help yourself then simply take a look below.

Listening Fatigue and Hearing Loss

The main reason why listening causes hearing fatigue is because of how the brain and ears work together to process sound. Inside the ear, you have tiny hair cells. These are responsible for converting sound waves into energy, that the brain then interprets as sound. Each cell is responsible for a specific frequency. If the hairs become damaged or destroyed, then certain frequencies will be lost. This means that the brain has to work extra hard to try and make sense of the sounds present.

The Process of Hearing

You may not think about how the brain affects your hearing, but at the end of the day, it’s a vital part of understanding and speaking. Hair cells within the inner ear turn sound waves into electrical signals. These are then sent to the brain through the auditory nerve. Every hair cell is in charge of picking up a frequency or pitch. They cannot be fixed if they die off, so the brain is forced to work harder to try and pick up the information it is being sent.

When hearing is normal, the three parts of the brain work with the auditory system to translate sounds. The temporal lobe behind your ear goes to each side of the brain. This turns information from the senses into sound signals that aid language comprehension. If you cannot hear very well then you may get fatigued from constantly trying to translate sounds with your remaining hair cells.

What can Hearing Aids do for You?

Depending on the degree of hearing loss you have, hearing aids reduce hearing fatigue by making it easier for you to understand speech. A study was done by Vanderbilt University in 2011 and they found that 16 adults, who had moderate hearing loss or sensorineural issues, saw improvement with their mental fatigue and listening efforts when using a hearing aid. The people who did not get any help at all saw their reaction times get slower as the experiment went on. This is consistent with mental fatigue.

How to Prevent Listening Fatigue

Having interactions with your friends, family or even co-workers can be fun and enjoyable. They can also be loud and have a lot of background noise going on. This can cause your brain to work extra hard and it can also make it difficult to block out the right sounds. If you want to stop yourself from getting as tired, then find ways to escape the noise every day. If you do not have hearing aids yet, then go for a quiet walk or even meditate. Read a book while watching television.

You can also choose a quiet place to talk, such as a booth in your favorite restaurant. You can use noise-cancelling headphones when flying too. The better you feel, the less noise your brain will have to sort through.

Ultimately though, the best thing you can do to support yourself with your hearing loss, would be for you to get a hearing aid. Hearing aids help to fill the gaps left by your hearing loss. If you suspect that you need a hearing aid, the best thing you can do is make an appointment with your audiologist. The Hearing Loss Association says that 48 million people in the United States have hearing loss, and if you do not get yours treated then this can put you at risk of depression. Hearing aids have advanced to the point where a lot of these conditions can be somewhat prevented, if you take action now,

If you want to learn more then get in touch with Arkansas Professional Hearing Care at (501) 588-0177. One of our audiologists will then be able to give you the help and support you are looking for.