Managing fatigue and exhaustion as a deaf young person

As a deaf young person, you know that listening and following conversations can require a lot more concentration than it might for your hearing friends. Whether you're using speech, sign language or a mix of both, it can take extra effort to catch all the details, especially in noisy environments. It’s not just mentally tiring – it can leave you feeling exhausted at the end of the day. 

What is concentration fatigue?

When your brain has to work harder to process information, it can be super exhausting – especially with longer conversations or in noisy places where it's tough to separate speech from all the background noise. For example, you might feel more tired after lipreading all day or using spoken language in a group setting. Everyone’s experience is different – and that’s OK.

If you feel more tired than your hearing friends at the end of the day, it might be because it's more of an effort for you to listen and interact for longer periods. This is called concentration fatigue. 

Over time, concentration fatigue can have long-term effects. It can affect your learning at school, how you feel about doing homework and even your mood at home.

I struggle with concentration fatigue immensely. I come home most days absolutely exhausted and in bad moods as I’m so tired and overstimulated."

- Skye (22) is severely to profoundly deaf and uses cochlear implants

Signs of concentration fatigue

Some common signs of concentration fatigue include:

• getting easily frustrated
• mood changes
• wanting to remove hearing technology (to 'switch off' for a while and recharge)
• inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating on work or conversations
• changes in activity levels, like having less stamina or not enjoying some activities as much, especially in noisy environments
• giving up easily (since tasks seem more difficult)
• sleepiness in the morning or falling asleep on the way home from school

Tips for dealing with concentration fatigue

Here are some helpful tips to reduce concentration fatigue and keep your energy levels up:

Make listening easier. 

Making changes to your surroundings (like minimising background noise or moving seats in class) and using technology (such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, radio aids or soundfield systems) can help. 

Explore what works best for you in different situations. For example, captions might be enough when you're relaxing at home and watching a TV show, but watching captioned videos in the classroom could feel difficult – especially if you've been doing a lot of reading.

Create breaks and quiet time. 

Build in rests throughout the day – whether that's through naps, quiet activities or simply taking a break.

During exam season, try to plan short revision sessions with breaks in between. Your school should be able to help with any access arrangements that can help reduce stress and fatigue.

Don't overload your schedule. 

Back-to-back activities don't leave time to stop and rest. Especially when tasks need a lot of attention, it's important to build in more breaks. You can ask a trusted adult or your Teacher of the Deaf to help you plan your day.

Talk about tiredness. 

Understand that it's important to rest when needed, and explore what feels relaxing to you.

Encourage self-awareness. 

Learn to recognise when you're feeling tired or overstimulated, and explain your needs to family, teachers or friends.

Explain to friends. 

Let your friends know that if you're quieter than usual, it's not because you don't want to be friends. You just need a break.

Get enough sleep. 

Make sure you have good sleep routines that help you recharge after long days of listening and learning.

Switch off when needed. 

It's OK to take a break from your hearing technology when you're feeling drained. Everyone needs downtime, and this can help you ‘switch off’ and recharge.