As the festive season rolls closer, we are all reminded of how tricky it can be to hear in noisy environments. Many people will be throwing Christmas parties, attending luncheons and other social functions to celebrate the end of a big year. While these parties and events are a great way to socialise and connect, they can often be very noisy.
The ‘Cocktail Party’ effect is when we struggle to understand speech in noise when there is a multitude of converging voices in crowded places. This impacts many people, even those with normal hearing, however the impact is even more significant when a person has a hearing loss. Research has shown that when there is a number of people talking together, these sounds blend together in an unintelligible way, making hearing and communicating exhausting.
The inability to hear in background noise is the most common complaint from people with hearing loss and makes parties and the festive season less enjoyable. When we cannot hear well in background noise, this can lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication, with people choosing to avoid such situations if they cannot communicate easily or effectively.
Technology today has the capacity to help people with hearing loss to hear better in noisy environments. Hearing aids can minimise the sounds you don’t want to hear. However, hearing aids cannot eliminate background noise. Hearing aids help in a number of ways from directional microphones to noise reduction programming – however, the key factor in successfully navigating through background noise is training your brain.
Directional Hearing Aid Microphones
We believe there are three must-have features your hearing aid should have to effectively help speech in noise with one of those being directional microphones.
Everyone’s ability to hear in noise is different, meaning your needs regarding which technology is right for you can only be determined using comprehensive speech in noise testing. The only proven way to achieve this is through the use of directional microphones. A modern hearing aid directional microphone system consists of up to four microphones depending on the style, brand, and model of hearing aid. When this system is activated, hearing aids focus on the direction of where the sound or speech is coming from, typically in front of you. This means you hear loudest from the direction you are looking, while sounds next to and behind you are suppressed.
Noise Reduction Program in Hearing Aids
Noise Reduction Programs are proven way to help manage noise. It works via a computer programme within hearing aids that identifies speech and prioritises it over other sounds. They also come with feedback reduction features that further help deliver clear speech.
Brain Training
Most clients will adapt very quickly to hearing aids, for others it can take weeks and for others as long as four months to get used to wearing them. The process is retraining your brain to hear the speech and noises that have been absent.
This festive season, should you notice that you, a friend or family member is finding it difficult to hear, communication and connect with others we recommend making an appointment for a comprehensive hearing test or hearing aid assessment.
Enjoy the sounds of Christmas.
