Last time you were at a noisy party or a busy restaurant, what do you remember? Was it the food or the drink or was it so difficult to hear amongst all the noise? If noise is what stands out to you, then it could signal an issue with your hearing. Sure, it’s hard for everyone to hear when there are competing conversations, clanking dishes, and background music, but for those with hearing loss, prioritizing the sounds you want to hear over the others can be downright exhausting.
Trying to Prioritize Sounds in Noise
Even for people with normal hearing, noisy settings can be tricky to navigate when trying to make out speech. However, hearing loss often tips the scales, making it feel frustrating and nearly impossible to participate in conversations at noisy restaurants and often making us want to avoid parties and other large gatherings whenever possible.
As more and more people speak, it’s tempting for everyone in the room to start to speak louder and before you know it you are shouting just so others can hear you. This is dangerous because if you feel you must raise your voice in order for others to hear when they are standing three feet from you or closer, it’s likely it’s loud enough to be damaging to your hearing. For those with hearing loss, it’s not a static issue and usually will get worse when you fail to care for your ears by exposing them to noise.
It’s hard to follow conversation in noise because many subtle cues and tones get lost all too easily when background noise overwhelms a space. The racket can mask finer sounds of speech, especially higher-pitched consonants which are key to decoding many words. This includes essential speech sounds such as “S, F, Th, Sh, Ch, K and P” making it easier to confuse what has been said and causing your brain to work overtime.
Take Simple Steps
The good news is that with practice you can make it easier for you to hear noise. One of the most effective tips is to plan where you sit. The more you do this the more second nature it will become. For instance, isolate where the source of the majority of noise is coming from and make sure you sit as far away from the source as possible.
Worst case, you find yourself in the middle of a one-on-one conversation that is difficult to understand due to the noise in the room. You could pretend to hear and abruptly end the conversation or you can always simply ask this person if they wouldn’t mind moving to a place in the room where you can hear easier.
Recruit Your Team
Learning to ask for help is one of the most valuable life lessons whether you have hearing loss or not. You can’t do it all, though our culture often applauds this type of behavior, relying on friends and family when out is never a bad option. When you find yourself in a noisy environment, your loved ones can act as a relay system to you, rephrasing questions or comments while sitting beside you. Overtime, this sort of translation may become rather natural. It’s never a bad idea to remind those you’ve arrived with at a party that you are having trouble hearing. Let them know what works best for you to hear noise. Tips for helping loved ones hear in noise often include maintaining eye contact when speaking so you can rely on visual cues and asking them to speak at a mild gate, so you have time to keep up with what they are saying, being sure to pronounce sounds clearly.
Seek Treatment for Hearing Loss
One of the most active things you can do to help you hear in noise is addressing a hearing loss. The most common treatment is hearing aids. This state-of-the-art digital technology continues to improve in sound quality and enhancement of hearing. Worn in or around the ear canal they amplify the sounds you need to hear based on your latest hearing exam to help you follow conversation and stay more alert in your environment. Of course it is always more difficult to hear in noise, so there are features which you can add such as directional microphones which amplify the speaker in front of you to hear with greater ease in noise. There are also background sound reducers which help minimize background noise.
To find out what hearing aids can do for you, contact us today to set up your next hearing exam!