She thought it was burnout, but it was her hearing

Marketing manager spent months blaming exhaustion for her work struggles, until a boardroom blunder revealed the real culprit.

For the past two years, Ms Rachel Lim has been constantly tired, struggling to follow conversations and assuming her packed schedule was to blame. For the 41-year-old marketing manager and mother of two it all seemed like burnout.

“I thought maybe I was just mentally tired,” she shares. “In meetings, I could still follow most things, so I didn’t think much of it.”

However, last April, her hearing condition became impossible to ignore during a work presentation.

“I misheard a key question from my boss and responded incorrectly in front of everyone,” she recalls. “It wasn’t a big mistake, but it made me feel very unsettled. That was when I realised I couldn’t keep brushing it off.”

Encouraged by a friend, Ms Lim went for a hearing assessment at 20dB Hearing Singapore. She was not expecting anything serious – just a routine check for peace of mind. Instead, she discovered she had early-stage hearing loss.

Ms Tan Hee Yen, an audiologist at 20dB Hearing, says: “For those living with early-stage hearing loss, this exhaustion isn’t just a long day – it is due to listening fatigue.

“We often think of hearing as something the ears do, but we actually rely on our brain to do the job of understanding sound and speech.”

Ms Lim was advised to get hearing aids, but hesitated because she had always associated them with bulky, visible devices.

“I wasn’t comfortable with that idea at all,” she says.

However, that changed when she was introduced to the Phonak Virto R Infinio, a custom-made in-the-ear device designed for discretion.

A familiar fit

“Unlike traditional devices that sit behind the ear, the Phonak Virto R Infinio looks more like modern wireless earbuds. It is shaped from an impression of your ear canal,” notes Ms Tan.

“The process takes just two appointments – one to take the mould and a second for the fitting – ensuring it sits comfortably and securely inside the ear all day,” the audiologist adds.

After using the aids for a few weeks, Ms Lim noticed changes that went beyond just hearing sound more clearly.

“I didn’t realise how much effort I was making just to keep up with conversations,” she says. “Now, I feel more relaxed in meetings. I don’t have to constantly guess what I’ve missed. At home, I also feel more present with my children.”

The other significant realisation was how much she had been subconsciously adapting to a “gradual fade” in her hearing capabilities. Choosing to address the issue allowed her to regain her sense of confidence. “I didn’t change my lifestyle,” she reflects. “I just started experiencing my lifestyle more clearly again.”

*This article is officially published on The Straits Times newspaper (27 May 2026).