The Reality of Listening Fatigue

Fatigue can occur at any time and with any organ within the human body. People do not think of the ears when they think of fatigue, and we often take our listening skills for granted as a result. People with hearing loss face listening fatigue, which is the exhaustion resulting from the constant need to focus and concentrate on sounds due to limited hearing.

People with moderate hearing damage usually hear only about half of what is being communicated, which requires them to fill the gaps in their hearing using guesswork and lip reading. This can put a lot of pressure on the brain to continue to fill in the gaps throughout the day which can result in listening fatigue.

A recent survey was conducted by the Danish Institute for Social Research. The findings indicated that 1 in 5 hearing impaired individuals end up quitting their jobs and for those that continue to work, around 15% are exhausted to the point where they are unable to pursue any leisure activities.

Luckily, hearing aids are an excellent option to combat listening fatigue and enable hearing impaired individuals to lead an active, satisfying life. Hearing aids help amplify sound levels, thereby decreasing the amount of energy that is required to decipher conversations and reducing listening fatigue.

People that use hearing aids reported that utilizing hearing devices provides them with increased amounts of reserved energy and that they do not feel as exhausted as before they began using the hearing instruments. In addition to sound amplification, hearing aids also have the added benefit of filtering out environmental noises which provide better clarity and ease of communication.

Listening fatigue can easily be remedied through the use of hearing aids. If you feel as though you or a loved one is suffering from listening fatigue and can benefit from using hearing aids, consult an audiologist today.