Noisy environments are a common part of everyday life, whether you’re at a crowded party or grabbing an after-work drink at Bender’s Bar & Grill. For many people, the noise is just part of the atmosphere. For those with hearing loss, however, it can make holding a conversation extremely difficult.
Why Hearing Loss Makes Noisy Environments Challenging
When people hear two sounds with very different frequencies, they can usually distinguish between them with little difficulty. For example, words like “bookcase” and “refrigerator” sound distinct because their acoustic patterns are quite different. However, as sounds become more similar in frequency, especially in noisy environments, people with hearing loss are more likely to perceive them as the same.
For instance, words such as “fifteen” and “fifty” may sound nearly identical, making it harder to understand what a speaker is saying. While people without hearing loss can accurately distinguish words across a broad range of frequencies, hearing loss reduces this ability by narrowing the range of sounds that can be reliably differentiated, making speech comprehension more challenging.[1] The louder the environment, the more difficult it becomes to differentiate.
Improving Speech Comprehension in Noisy Environments
There are a couple of ways you can accommodate hearing loss for better speech comprehension in noisy environments:
- Wear your hearing aids. Hearing aids are the most important tool in effective communication. The small devices collect speech, amplify it and send it directly to your ears. Many modern devices even have adaptive technology that analyzes your environment and amplifies the voices you hear most frequently. Some devices also come with directional microphones that focus on sounds in front of and behind you, a crucial tool in busy rooms.
- Limit distractions. If you’re talking to someone, try not to look around the room or at your phone; understanding speech with hearing loss takes more concentration.
- Watch body language. Facial expressions, lip movements and gesturing can add context to a speaker’s words, helping you fill in missing information.
- Consider auditory training. Auditory training improves your speech comprehension skills. Audiobooks are a helpful training tool, especially if you have physical text to read as you listen. You can also listen to speech-in-noise audio to train your brain to isolate the important sounds.
Managing your hearing loss with hearing aids, paying attention to the speaker and using auditory training tools will make your parties, dinners and other noisy events much more fun. For more information about managing hearing loss, contact Advantage ENT & Audiology today.
[1] Reiss, L. A., & Molis, M. R. (2021). An alternative explanation for difficulties with speech in background talkers: Abnormal fusion of vowels across fundamental frequency and ears. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 22, 443–461. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-021-00790-7