Not being able to hear in background noise is an early sign of hearing loss and often referred to as “hidden hearing loss”. We say hidden, because we often hear well in quiet, one on one situations and not hearing well only “sneaks up on us” in noisier environments (i.e. restaurants/groups/meetings). As hearing loss often develops gradually you may not even notice the changes in your hearing initially.
The most common causes of hearing loss are:
- Presbycusis – age-related hearing loss. Over time the hair cells in the inner ear degrade, usually from around the age of 40. After this begins to happen the individual will experience gradual hearing loss.
- Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) – the hair cells in the inner ear are damaged due to exposure to loud sounds (machines/guns). This can cause a sudden loss of hearing due to a short burst of sound or a gradual loss of hearing due to exposure to sounds over a longer period, often without the use of hearing protection.
Both of these types of hearing loss typically result in a high frequency hearing loss. A high frequency hearing loss reduces our ability to hear crucial consonant sounds such as /s/, /t/, /f/ and /th/. If you think about the English language, these are extremely common sounds and if we are not hearing these sounds clearly, speech starts to sound blurry, or we feel as though people are mumbling.
Background noise tends to be more low pitched centered. It can get so loud that it overpowers your ability to hear those higher pitched, soft consonants you may already be missing, so we often disengage or get frustrated because we cannot understand what is being said.
In the audiogram above, English sounds are overlayed on a common hearing loss where there is more hearing loss in the high pitches than the low pitches. This individual often asks others for repetition and reports difficulty hearing someone talking from another room. They also have noticed more difficulty in noisy restaurants and when watching movies. Sound like you? If so, may be time to contact Gardner Audiology and speak to one of our providers.
Modern hearing aid technology has significantly improved a person’s capabilities to understand speech in noise. The hearing aids will automatically change “settings” based on what the hearing aid is detecting in the environment. They also allow you to choose among settings and filters that you may control with your smartphone, such as background noise reduction or speech clarity. Excellent examples of this are Infinio Sphere and the Starkey Edge AI. Both have been reviewed and rated by Hearing Tracker and were listed in the top three among the ten most common prescription hearing aids offered for help in background noise. Modern hearing aids can help you reduce the background noise so you can focus on what’s important to you!
If someone close to you makes a comment about you not hearing well or you notice you are starting to struggle when out at your favorite restaurant, don’t ignore it. Contact the Audiologists at Gardner Audiology for a no obligation hearing consultation at 1-800-277-1182 or schedule online at www.GardnerAudiology.com. You can also email info@gardneraudiology.com
