The Impact of Hearing Loss on Energy
Most people are fully aware that we only have so much energy to use on any given day. If you are cutting firewood, digging a ditch, or tending to a sick infant for many hours early in the day; then very likely by the time supper rolls around you will feel drained, and either have a nap or already be looking forward to a good nights sleep. What most people do not appreciate is that a person with hearing loss has to work extra hard every single day in order to pick up and interpret what people are saying. They must expend a great deal of energy simply to follow conversation, which is something most people take for granted. This is compounded many times over if you are in situations with multiple talkers or a lot of competing noise in the background. The more competition present,the more energy you must use to listen; the more energy used for listening, the less energy you have for all the other things you do in your world. As I’m sure everyone can appreciate, using a large amount of your energy reserves for communication means there is less available for all the fun things you enjoy.
Several years ago I was given the following analogy to illustrate just how much effort it can take for a person with hearing loss to hear. Picture yourself driving from Fredericton to Moncton on a nice, sunny, Sunday morning in mid-July. There is a divided highway the entire way, the speed limit is consistent at 110kph, and there aren’t many cars on the road to deal with. Now, picture thatexact same drive, in the same car, with the same passengers, except it’s mid-February and there’s a raging snowstorm outside. Everything is consistent except the weather, but how you FEEL and your energy levels when you reach your destination are very different. The additional concentration and energy required to drive in bad weather means you will invariably be more drained when you finally get to Moncton. This is very similar to the manner people with hearing loss describe how they feel after being in a crowded situation and trying to carry on conversation. It takes SO MUCH energy to listen that, very often, they simply “switch off” and stop even trying to hear. This results in the all-too-common occurrence of a person with hearing loss just being present at an event, without being actively involved in the conversation. We call this social isolation and it can be very harmful to both your hearing AND your spirit.
It is critical for people to stay engaged in conversation and social interaction. Research studies repeatedly show it has numerous health benefits as people age, especially for cognitive functioning. Do not remove yourself from your world because of hearing loss; speak with your audiologist about how we can manipulate some/all of those details to get you back in the game. Keep active and remember this motto: “Live the life you want with the hearing you have.”