Feeling Anxious? Hearing Loss Might be The Culprit

Hearing loss can be a worrying time, and unfortunately, it can be accompanied by many unpleasant side effects such as anxiety. If you are experiencing loss of hearing, you are likely to be far more alert, and heightened awareness is exactly how anxiety manifests itself. In some cases, the effects of hearing loss will manifest physically too. These are usually dizziness, heart palpitations, nausea and insomnia. 

Hearing loss is degenerative, meaning that it happens slowly over a period. In many cases, you may not even realize that you are experiencing hearing loss until an audiologist advises you that you are. When this happens, a person generally experiences a high level of anxiety.

However, sight loss does not seem to trigger anxiety in the same way as hearing loss does. Perhaps that is because glasses are more widespread. Luckily, we live in a time when hearing aids have advanced drastically due to new technology, and perhaps this can help relieve some of the anxiety people feel.

Communication Issues 

Clearly, hearing loss will be accompanied by communication issues which can be worrying. How often do you find yourself straining to hear the cashier when in a shop? Do you find yourself repeating pardon over and over and then getting paranoid that you are annoying the other person?

You will also be concerned about making and receiving phone calls as you are struggling to understand what the other person is saying. All this can make everyday life so much more complicated.

Background noise can be very distracting for someone with hearing loss too. In the short term, perhaps a stand back from ordinary life approach may be an advantage to help you adjust to, or indeed realize through a hearing test that you do actually have a hearing-related problem. However, if you do nothing, isolating yourself will only make you more anxious and this can lead to depression.

You are Not Alone

Anxiety in itself is a common mental health issue, and anxiety brought on by hearing loss is also a common problem. So, you are definitely not alone. The thing is anxiety brought on by hearing loss can be avoided if you are proactive and get help. Another thing to consider is that anxiety can actually make your hearing loss worse, or if you experience anxiety, it may even bring on hearing loss in the first place. It is therefore essential that you seek help for both conditions.  

The Available Treatment 

If you have anxiety and are experiencing any of the communication issues listed above, you are very likely experiencing hearing loss. You need to accept this and contact an audiologist immediately to seek the help you need. Hearing aids are just like glasses and are designed to make your life easier. They can reduce your anxiety levels as well as improve your ability to communicate. You may well feel more empowered to get back to everyday life and social situations quite quickly.   

Like anything new, there is obviously a lot to learn. When you first receive hearing aids, you may well experience anxiety. Perhaps you are worried about other people seeing them, but new hearing aids are generally quite small, and like glasses, this is something you will get used to. It can take a few weeks to get used to wearing your new hearing aids and learn all the basic instructions. Try to avoid getting frustrated if you find them a bit of a struggle, to begin with.

If you still experience anxiety and already wear suitable hearing aids, contact your doctor as you need further assistance suitable to your personal circumstances. 

Contact Us

Hearing aids have the power to transform your life if you have hearing loss. So, it is in your best interests to book a hearing test asap. Please contact us at Advanced Hearing Services at (970) 449-0592 today and see what a difference a hearing aid can make to your life and emotional wellbeing.