Is hearing loss affecting your concentration? Here’s what to do about it.
Photo credit - Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels. Image description- Blonde woman with pony tail wearing a red jumper sitting in an office at a laptop with her head on the desk.
Are you forgetting things?
Are you finding it harder to concentrate and stay on task?
I once confided in a friend that I was worried about my focus and memory, she laughed and made some comments about ageing.
I later found out that finding it hard to concentrate is common for people with hearing loss. But it’s not something you have to put up with.
How hearing loss makes it hard to concentrate.
If you don’t wear hearing aids, your brain is constantly trying to make sense of the sounds you can hear and fill in the gaps.
If you do wear hearing aids, they amplify all the sounds, so if you’re having a conversation in a room with background noise, the noise is amplified too. It’s harder to separate the individual sounds, so following what’s said takes more focus.
Deaf people and those with hearing loss rely on other tactics like watching body language, lip patterns and other peoples’ responses to what’s being said. Then they put everything together like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces.
All of this is done by the working memory, which is also working on responding to what’s being said, remembering instructions, new tasks and new information.
This increases the cognitive load on the brain, so it has less resources for other tasks.
Why are conversations exhausting?
Speech clarity in noise is something that all hearing aid producers are working on. And whilst progress is being made, it’s still a problem for many people, as they need to use more mental effort to understand the sounds and speech around them.
People with hearing loss may find background noise more distracting as they can’t filter it and separate the unimportant stuff from things that need their attention. Worrying that you’ll miss something important, or mis-hear something is very stressful and can make it even harder to concentrate.
Because so much of the working memory is used for all this stuff, there are less resources available for processing and retaining information. You may feel that your memory is getting worse, but it’s your working memory that’s getting overloaded.
Straining to hear over long periods of time can cause listening fatigue. Tiredness and exhaustion from continuous effort and cognitive overload. This can make it difficult to follow conversations and maintain attention as well as causing irritability, headaches and muscle tension.
How to improve your concentration
Reduce listening effort with technology
If you already wear hearing aids, ask your audiologist if there are better programmes you can use. They are improving all the time, so if you’ve had your hearing aids for a few years, upgrading them could improve your speech understanding.
If you don’t wear hearing aids, get a hearing test and find out what your options are.
Find out what other technology is available to you.
Hearing loops and microphones can stream speech directly to your hearing aids whilst cutting out the background noise. Some mobile phones also do this. You can also control the volume so you can turn people up instead of struggling to hear them.
Using a transcription app can not only help you follow conversations, but can allow you to go back later and check what was said.
Use captions on video calls or when you’re watching tv.
Improve your listening environment
Minimise background noise by closing windows and turning off background music. Rooms with curtains and carpets and soft furnishings will have better acoustics.
Arrange the furniture so that you can see everyones face clearly. Keep the room well lit but don’t let people sit with their back to the light as it will cause shadow on their face.
Ask people to repeat themselves, speak more clearly, or to slow down. Tell them not to over enunciate words, it makes them harder to understand, and they look daft.
Ask for notes of meetings so you don’t need to remember everything.
How to manage your cognitive load
Get organised
Use written notes, planners, apps and reminders to keep track of what needs to be done.
Plan your day and allocate certain times for different activities or tasks during the day.
Break larger tasks down into smaller, more manageable ones. Focus on the most important ones first.
Make sure your workspace is tidy and free of visual distractions. Make sure you have everything you need within reach for the task at hand. If you aren’t working on it right now, move it out of the way.
Use time management techniques such as the Pomodoro Technique i.e. work for a set time (e.g. 30 mins) then have a break (5 mins) repeat.
Take a break
Take short breaks throughout the day to give your ears and brain a rest. Move to a quiet space or go for a walk.
If you’re going to have a busy day, plan ahead for extra rest time afterwards.
Take your hearing aids off for a while so you aren’t so focused on listening.
Pointing isn’t rude
Encourage people to use gestures when talking to you. Waving and pointing are commonly used in sign language because they are so easy to understand. Learning simple signs can be really helpful and ensure you don’t miss out, as well as reducing your need to listen. My favourite signs are “tea” and “cake.”
This YouTube channel has lots of useful signs.
Improve your wellbeing
Keeping to a healthy diet, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein will make sure that your brain is getting all the nutrients it needs to function well.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day to ensure you don’t become dehydrated.
Exercise improves blood flow to the brain, improving cognitive function and releasing adrenaline and stress. You can also exercise your brain with activities like puzzles, strategy or memory games.
Getting enough sleep is also essential to brain function. Eating late, drinking too much caffeine or alcohol or having tinnitus can interfere with getting enough sleep. Change your routine so that a good nights sleep becomes a habit.
Activities such as mindfulness not only improve your wellbeing but can help to improve your focus and attention.
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