Struggling with hearing loss isn’t just about learning to cope with hearing in noise, or having difficulty understanding conversations over the phone. Hearing loss is also very exhausting. Even with hearing devices, your ears and brain are working overtime to try to catch all the sounds around you, and you experience listening fatigue. Things that used to be a breeze leave you burnt out, and you crash at the end of each work day. Do you sleep every evening, and never have energy for your loved ones? Here are a few tips for easing listening fatigue, and saving energy for the important things in life.
The Fatigue Factor
Listening fatigue is more common than you’d think, costing nearly 56 billion dollars every year in the US from lost work productivity. For those with hearing loss, hearing itself isn’t the only problem. Is it harder to follow conversations in the evening than in the morning? That’s because you’ve been working hard all day, straining to follow what’s being said. You’ve understood everything at your afternoon meeting, and you’re able to stay on top of your workload. Maybe your coworkers can’t see you struggling, but when you get home all that strain catches up with you. It’s more than just being tired, it’s complete exhaustion.
After a while, you start each day feeling worn down, regardless of how much sleep you got the night before, and you’re dead tired after dinner with some friends, or a particularly long day at the office. This chips away at your physical and mental health, leaving you too tired to engage with friends and family, often leading to stress, anxiety, or depression.
The Cognitive Load
Did you know that those with hearing loss are working twice as hard to hear as those with normal hearing? Even in a quiet room you work harder to hear, but in a place with background noise, your ears and brain are working in overdrive to separate unimportant sounds from the important sounds you’re straining to hear. In fact, so much of your processing power is being used up in that task that there’s very little left over for understanding what’s actually being said. According to Dr. Ervin Hafter from the University of California Berkley, all that extra processing is having a huge impact on your cognitive performance, and that’s why you struggle so much to piece together what’s happening.
How to Manage Listening Fatigue
Want to manage your listening fatigue? Practice self-care! The most important thing is to give yourself time to rest and relax. If you’re feeling really tired, take a break. Don’t push yourself beyond your limits, and give yourself permission to take the evening off to reduce listening fatigue.
Have a nap: Give your ears and brain a rest. One great way to relax is to have a 30-minute power nap around lunch to recharge and have more energy for the afternoon. Don’t wait until you’re burnt out, but take a break proactively. This forces your brain to relax, and reduces listening fatigue before it becomes a problem.
Exercise: Another great tip for self-care is exercising. For many people, going for a run or doing daily stretches can be relaxing, and can help you manage your listening fatigue. It’s recommended to have a daily, light exercise routine to help you relieve stress as well as maintaining overall health and well-being.
Take a deep breath: A great way to de-stress is through breathing exercises or mediation. Focusing on the breath allows you to let go of any tension or stress you’ve been holding throughout the day, and let your ears and brain rest, reducing listening fatigue. Yoga is another form of self-care that can help you get the benefit of relaxing, and combat fatigue.
How We Can Help
Do you struggle with listening fatigue? We understand, and we’re here to help. With the latest in hearing technology that works with you to reduce listening effort and help you hear clearly in every situation, we have the hearing aid that will fit seamlessly into your life, and help you manage fatigue. So, take a break, do something to relax and give your ears a rest, and then visit Hearing Wellness Solutions for all your hearing needs.
