Listening-Related Fatigue — Learning to Listen to your Body (and the Importance of Inclusive Activities)

I have previously written about Zoom Fatigue and the difficulty of concentrating for hours and hours of video calls. However, it is also important to learn not to always press on and keep going until the point of exhaustion. It can have a real impact on well-being therefore it is important to acknowledge this — and listen to your body.

Listening-related fatigue (for everyone, not just people who are deaf/HOH) is your brain’s way of telling you that the effort outweighs the rewards and that your attention is better off focused elsewhere. Hearing loss just means that you reach a level of exhaustion quicker.

Unsurprisingly, sustained severe fatigue negatively impacts well-being. In my experience it also takes longer to recover, so stop and take a break before you reach this point. It is okay to do so.

However, listening-fatigue is not limited to zoom calls. It also presents itself in social situations. Hearing loss also makes social situations more challenging and potentially less enjoyable.

According to research, the enjoyment and control one has in social situations dictates the level of fatigue. Social activity (and the enjoyment of that activity) can help you recover from a stressful day and reset, whereas a difficult social activity will not.

Interestingly, I find that this is very true. The right type of activity at the right time will work wonders which is why it is so important to make social activities inclusive. If a social event is accessible it will be fun and potentially energising (or at least not energy draining). An inaccessible event and I will simply not attend, or if I do not be able to participate and/or it will be energy draining.

For a more detailed insight into the relationships between listening-related fatigue, well-being and daily-life activity for people with hearing loss, you can read “Can listening-related fatigue influence well-being? Examining associations between hearing loss, fatigue, activity levels and well-being” via this link.