Worn out after a good day out?
You've had a lovely Sunday lunch with the family. Nobody argued, the food was good, and you enjoyed seeing everyone. So why do you come home feeling as if you've run a marathon?
If you have hearing loss, the answer may be listening fatigue. It's very common, it's real, and most people never connect their tiredness to their ears at all. The good news is that once you recognise it, there's a lot you can do.
What is listening fatigue?
When your hearing is good, understanding speech happens almost automatically. When it isn't, your brain has to do much more of the work. It concentrates harder, fills in missed words, and checks what it has guessed, all at the same time. Over a few hours, that extra effort adds up to real tiredness. Researchers at the University of Manchester asked adults aged 55 to 85 about this. Those with hearing loss reported far more listening effort and fatigue than people with normal hearing. Interestingly, how severe their hearing loss was didn't predict how tired they felt. So even a mild loss can leave you drained.
Other research has found that this tiredness can lead people to withdraw from social activities. That is why it matters: it isn't just about being tired, it's about slowly missing out on life.
Signs to look out for
You might recognise some of these:
• Feeling exhausted after social events, meetings or phone calls, even ones you enjoyed
• Needing a nap or quiet time after a busy day out
• Losing track of conversations as the day goes on
• Getting irritable or short-tempered in noisy places
• Headaches or a feeling of mental "fog" after a lot of talking
• Making excuses to avoid gatherings you used to look forward to
What can help
• Recognise it. Simply knowing why you're tired helps. It isn't laziness or age; it's your brain working overtime.
• Plan your listening. If you have a busy event coming up, keep the rest of the day light. Save your energy for the conversations that matter most.
• Take short breaks. A few minutes somewhere quiet, such as a walk outside or a cup of tea in another room, lets your brain recover.
• Choose the easier spot. Sit with your back to the wall, away from the kitchen or music, with good light on people's faces.
• Use your eyes. Watching faces and lips takes some of the strain off your ears. Lipreading skills make a real difference here.
• Wear your hearing aids. Research suggests well-fitted hearing aids can reduce listening effort and mental fatigue. If yours aren't helping, ask your audiology service to check them.
• Tell people. Let family and friends know when you're flagging. A quiet word is better than struggling on.
You don't have to manage it alone
At GHOHSG, listening fatigue comes up in conversation all the time. Our members swap tips on what works for them, and our lipreading practice helps take some of the strain off your ears.
We meet on the second Monday of each month, and every meeting combines lipreading practice with an interesting talk. You're welcome to come to one session free, to see whether it suits you. Annual membership is £24.
Find out more about our meetings. We'd love to see you.
Further reading
• Hearing aid use and listening effort and mental fatigue (Hornsby, 2013)
• Do you experience listening fatigue? Tips from Dr Sarah Hughes