Do you ever feel tired or ‘foggy’ after a social event or long conversation? Do you find it hard to follow along at all-day conferences at Indian River State College Schreiber Conference Center? If so, you’re not alone. It turns out this feeling of brain fog is common for people with hearing loss. Below we review why there’s a connection between hearing problems and brain fog and strategies for coping.
What Causes Brain Fog?
There are multiple ways hearing problems can contribute to brain fog.
A study from 2017 found that children with hearing loss experience significant fatigue from daily interactions at school. This is backed by anecdotal evidence from adults with hearing loss, who also report experiencing this phenomenon known as “listening fatigue.” Fatigue goes hand-in-hand with poor concentration and memory issues.
In addition, hearing loss has been linked to memory problems and cognitive decline in multiple studies. This is another way in which hearing problems can cause you to feel a sense of fogginess.
Identify Triggers
The first step in coping with brain fog is to identify your triggers. While symptoms may seem random, there is often an external factor in your environment or lifestyle that can exacerbate problems with brain fog.
One strategy for identifying triggers is to write down what you do and what you eat in a journal. Over time, this can help you identify patterns, like feeling run down after long work meetings or having memory problems after eating high amounts of sodium. Even the weather, like changes in barometric pressure, can exacerbate symptoms of Meniere’s disease, triggering brain fog.
Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Aside from hearing loss, your diet, sleep schedule and exercise can impact your brain function. Be sure to eat a healthy diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, go to bed and get up at a decent time each day and exercise regularly, even if it’s just taking a few short walks around the block each day.
Be Creative
When you’re feeling fatigued and foggy, you may not feel like doing much of anything. However, this will likely only make you feel worse. Try finding a creative outlet like writing or painting. Even 10 minutes of creative activity might help your brain feel fresh and break you from the cycle of brain fog.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Aaron’s Hearing Aid & Audiology Center today.