If you hear fine in quiet environments, but struggle in louder places like the Mobile Civic Center, it may be an early sign of hearing loss.
While it can be frustrating not to be able to follow conversations with your partner or friends in noisy environments, treating your hearing loss with hearing aids can help make it easier.
Why Hearing Loss Makes It Hard To Hear in Noisy Places
Though loud environments can sometimes pose a challenge even to people with normal hearing, they can be especially difficult for those with hearing loss. This is for several different reasons.
- High-frequency sounds. In most cases of hearing loss, your ability to hear high-frequency sounds is impacted first. This includes consonant sounds such as s, f, t,h, and others. These can begin to sound muffled when you have difficulty hearing, and background noise only makes it harder to decipher what is being said.
- Sound direction. Hearing loss makes it harder to locate where sounds are coming from. It can be exhausting for your ears and brain to focus on what your friend is saying when her voice is competing with other voices, the clatter of glasses and plates in a restaurant or background music.
- Cognitive fatigue. Because your brain has to work harder to process speech and other sounds in noisy environments, you can start to become mentally fatigued. This can make it even harder to hear and can affect your ability to remember what was just said.
Hearing Aids Make It Easier To Listen in Loud Environments
Using hearing aids can help enhance speech recognition and improve your ability to locate sounds in loud environments. A 2021 study found that hearing aids with a Dynamic Environment Control System are highly effective for speech perception in noisy environments.
These systems can help suppress background noise, eliminate feedback, and amplify the sounds you want to hear so that your hearing is optimized no matter your environment.
Being able to socialize and interact with others is important to our health and overall enjoyment of life. Don’t let untreated hearing loss take that away from you.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with one of our experts, contact Premier Medical Group today.