Being in a persistent state of elevated alertness is how anxiety is defined. It warns us of peril, but for some, anxiety goes out of control, and their bodies respond as if everything is a potential danger. You could find yourself filled with feelings of anxiety while performing daily tasks. Your day-to-day life becomes an emotional struggle, and everything seems more daunting than it should.
And anxiety, for others, can take more than an emotional toll – the symptoms could become physical. These symptoms include dizziness, insomnia, nausea, and heart palpitations. Some might suffer from these feelings all of their lives, while others might find as their hearing worsens, they start to feel heightened anxiety.
Unlike some aging challenges which come out of nowhere, hearing loss tends to creep up on you until one day your hearing professional tells you that you need a hearing aid. This shouldn’t be any different from finding out you need glasses, but failing vision usually doesn’t trigger the same degree of anxiety that hearing loss does. Even if you’ve never had severe anxiety this can still occur. Hearing loss can make it even worse for people who already suffer from depression or anxiety.
What’s That?
Hearing loss creates new concerns: Did I mishear that price? What if I say ‘huh?’ too many times? If I keep asking people to repeat what they said, will they start to get annoyed with me? Will people stop calling me? When everyday activities become stressful, anxiety escalates and this is a common reaction. Why are you turning down invitations for dinner or staying away from gatherings? Your struggle to hear and understand conversations could be the reason why you keep turning down invitations if you’re being truthful with yourself. While this could help in the short-term, in the long-term, you will become more separated, which will result in increased anxiety.
Am I Alone?
You’re not the only person feeling this way. It’s increasingly common for people to be dealing with anxiety. Anxiety disorders are a problem for 18% of the population. Recent studies show hearing loss increases the likelihood of being diagnosed with anxiety, especially when left untreated. It could work the opposite way too. According to some studies, anxiety will actually raise your chances of getting hearing loss. Considering how manageable anxiety and hearing loss are, it’s unfortunate so many people continue to cope with both needlessly.
What Are The Treatment Choices?
If hearing loss is producing anxiety, it’s time to get fitted for a hearing aid. Don’t wait until your next check-up, particularly if you’ve noticed a rapid change in your hearing. For many, hearing aids reduce anxiety by reducing miscommunications and embarrassment in social situations.
There is a learning curve with hearing aids that may enhance your anxiety if you aren’t prepared for it. Adjusting to wearing hearing aids and finding out all of the settings can take a couple of weeks. So if you struggle somewhat at first, be patient and try not to get discouraged. If you’re still having troubles with anxiety after you’ve had your hearing aids for a while, it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor can recommend one or more of the many methods to manage anxiety such as increased exercise or a change in lifestyle.
