For most of us, health problems end up developing over time with the early changes being pretty easy to dismiss. You might that you feel a bit more tired than usual or just that busy environments drain you more than they used to, when we all lead such busy lives its easy to put this down to being overworked. If your sleep is worse then your concentration can drop but these things might not all seem enough on their own to deal with straight away or get medical advice about. So you can end up work around them and adapting to a new ‘normal’ but where everything feels worse. Over time you might end up even adjusting how you go about your day and avoid certain situations because they take more out of you than they used to. If you’ve got to that point, don’t suffer! Here are some things to take notice of and speak to a doctor if you need to.
Address your hearing
Hearing loss will usually develop gradually and is often linked to regular exposure to loud sound. Things liken having headphones up too loud or live events like music festivals can contribute to it. Noisy work environments can place strain on the inner ear as well so it’s really important to wear the right PPE. By the time hearing changes become obvious, a lot of the damage has already happened and can’t be reversed. If you’ve got tinnitus which is a ringing and buzzing in the ears, stress can make this worse. So many people put off changes in their hearing for years, it might not be until someone mentions that your TV is up ridiculously loud or points it out to you directly that you realise there’s a problem. Or you might suspect some changes but be in denial about it because you’re not elderly. But it can affect younger people to so definitely get checked out if you think you need to. New technology like Signia hearing aids can be super discreet and improve your quality of life once you can properly hear again.
Consider your sleep
Having rubbish sleep night after night will of course build up fatigue over time and will affect how well you cope with normal demands- in fact it will affect just about everything you do. If your sleep is broken or you rarely feel properly rested then your tolerance everything drops and this can massively affect your mood and mental health. Things that used to feel manageable take more effort and this then feeds into a cycle where being tired makes it harder to rest properly, because your body never really settles. Rest isn’t just about hours in bed so going to bed earlier isnt always the answer. There are so many different reasons yours might be affected so get checked out to find the cause before it leads to further issues with your physical and mental health.
Reduce over stimulation
A lot of us spend most of our days around noise. If your a parent then it might be your kids playing and screaming or you might have a noisy job or even just being outside and listening to traffic and other sounds can all be over stimulating. The problem is that many of us then deal with this in the wrong way, we look at our highly stimulating phones and get stuck in a scroll hole. Or it could be reaching for an alcoholic drink which can make you feel relaxed in the moment but a lot worse overall. Take time every day to clear your mind, meditation or even a long bath can bring your stress levels back down and leave you more prepared for the next day.
