Introduction
Hearing loss affects more than one’s hearing. It also comes with significant mental and emotional effects including changes to one’s self-esteem and how one interacts with others. When people struggle to hear, communication becomes challenging followed by loneliness, sorrow and social isolation. For people struggling with hearing and understanding speech, the idea of being in large groups or noisy situations can become something that brings more anxiety than excitement.
How Hearing Loss Affects Emotional Health
According to the ear machine specialist of Hearing Plus, a hearing aid centre in Kolkata, hearing loss can have a negative impact on one’s emotions. Some of the emotional effects of hearing loss include:
Anger and denial
Losing one’s hearing can bring a drastic change to their everyday life and can be difficult to get used to, causing feelings of anger. It is also expected for people with hearing issues to be in denial about the severity of their hearing problem because it is a shift that is difficult to accept.
Depression and anxiety
Losing one’s hearing can make them feel like they have lost a part of their identity and cause feelings of depression and sadness. Symptoms of depression can include slowed responses, crying, weight changes and disrupted sleeping patterns. Hearing loss can also be anxiety-provoking.
Isolation and social withdrawal
It is common for people with hearing loss to avoid situations where it is difficult to hear to prevent feelings of stress, anxiety and embarrassment. Social withdrawal and isolation can also lead to depression or make the existing symptoms of depression worse.
Fatigue
Losing one’s hearing can make one feel fatigued because straining to hear properly drains more cognitive energy.
Preventions
Prevention is better than cure. If a person takes early precautions, he or she is less likely to develop hearing loss. One can protect their hearing by taking safety measures, such as:
- Avoiding loud noises
- Avoiding listening to loud music for long periods
- Getting their hearing tested
Hearing loss can be handled and treated. The earlier you address the signs of hearing loss, the more likely you are to avoid irreversible hearing impairment. Contact Hearing Plus, a well-known hearing aid center in Kolkata, if you suffer from hearing loss.