Feeling drained after conversations or finding busy social situations more taxing than they used to be? It might not make you think about your hearing, but sometimes the extra effort involved in listening can take its toll.
That’s because we don’t just listen with our ears. Our ears detect sound, but it’s our brain that has to make sense of it, by identifying and organising sounds, recognising speech, understanding where the sounds are coming from, and decide what deserves your attention.
World-leading hearing aid manufacturer Oticon describes this through its BrainHearing™ philosophy. The principle is that effective hearing isn't simply about making speech louder. Instead, the brain benefits from access to the wider sound environment so it has the information it needs to understand what's happening around us. (Oticon)
When hearing loss means some of this information is missing or unclear, the brain may have to compensate. Oticon describes this as having to “fill in the gaps”, requiring greater listening effort. (Oticon)
There is a growing body of independent research supporting the broader concept of so-called ‘listening fatigue’. A systematic review of listening effort found physiological evidence that people with hearing impairment can expend greater listening effort during speech perception than people with normal hearing, although the authors also highlighted limitations and inconsistencies across the wider evidence base. (PubMed Central (PMC))
Hearing loss prevalence in the UK
According to RNID's latest UK prevalence data, 1 in 3 people in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, while more than half of people aged 55 and over have hearing loss. An estimated 2.4 million people have hearing loss at a level that would make it difficult to hear most conversational speech. (RNID)
Yet many people who could benefit from support haven't taken action. RNID estimates that around 10 million UK adults could benefit from hearing aids, but only around 3 million currently use them . It also reports that 38% of people who think they may have hearing loss haven't spoken to a professional about it. (RNID)
What does listening fatigue feel like?
You may still be able to follow a conversation while having to concentrate much harder to do so.
Think about a family meal or a busy restaurant. There may be several voices, music, background noise and sounds coming from different directions. If parts of speech aren't reaching you clearly, your brain may rely more heavily on context and other clues to work out what has been said.
Repeated over a long conversation or an entire day, that extra concentration can become tiring.
You might notice that:
- conversations in noisy places feel increasingly hard work;
- you feel drained after meetings or social occasions;
- following several people at once is difficult;
- you ask people to repeat themselves more frequently;
- people seem to mumble;
- you turn the television up more than you used to; or
- you find yourself wanting some quiet after spending a long time listening.
Research into hearing loss-related fatigue remains an evolving field. Feeling tired alone certainly doesn't mean that you have hearing loss. Fatigue has many possible causes. But if listening itself has started to feel tiring , particularly alongside other changes in your hearing, it's worth having your hearing checked.
Why can hearing loss go unnoticed?
Hearing loss doesn't necessarily happen overnight.
You may gradually start turning up the television, moving closer to whoever is speaking, watching people's faces more carefully or choosing quieter places to have conversations.
Because the brain is good at using context to make sense of incomplete information, you can also continue to understand much of what is being said while expending more effort to do it.
That may help explain why people can live with changes in their hearing for some time before seeking help. RNID reports that only 6% of UK people without diagnosed hearing loss had a hearing check in the previous 12 months, despite almost 90% saying their hearing was important to them. (RNID)
House of Hearing can help
If you suspect you are experiencing listening fatigue, or sounds aren’t as clear as they once were, there are simple steps you can take to seek professional advice.
At House of Hearing, we offer Free Hearing Tests to give you a clear picture of your hearing health. Our audiologists can assess your hearing, talk about the situations you're finding difficult and explain your results.
Sometimes something as straightforward as excessive earwax may be affecting how well you're hearing. If we identify hearing loss, we'll explain the options available and whether you could benefit from further support.
Where hearing aids are appropriate, modern technology can provide better access to sounds that hearing loss has made difficult to hear.
That's why good hearing care starts with understanding you: your hearing, the situations you find difficult and the support that's appropriate for your individual needs.