January 27, 2023
It seems to make sense. You're in a busy room, and it's hard to hear other people around you. You can hear the noise in the room, but listening to the person right in front of you talk seems impossible. This isn't uncommon, and it often is an early indication that you could be developing hearing loss. Why is this happening, and what can be done about it?
Over time, it becomes harder to hear in environments that are louder. This is called a person’s ability to multi-listen or listen to more than one thing at a time. For example, you may want to listen to a person talking to you, but other auditory inputs are occurring around you. It becomes harder to hear like this, particularly as a person gets older.
One of the key reasons for this is the brain's ability to focus on specific sounds. Over time, the brain becomes unable to focus on just that one sound. Rather, the brain is trying to take in everything that is happening around it, and that means nothing is focused or clear to you.
You may find yourself asking people to repeat themselves. You may even find your frustration is growing just by being in these environments.
Not getting treatment for this could mean your hearing worsens over time, and you become less likely to engage with others. You may not want to go to restaurants or parties like you used to simply because you don't want to deal with the lack of ability to hear.
Having trouble hearing in noisy environments isn’t something you should avoid. The best way to determine if a problem is occurring is to have a formal hearing test completed. Your local audiologist can help with this process.
Hearing aids can assist most people facing trouble hearing well in these environments. That’s the case due to a technology called noise reduction. It is a way for the device to reduce the volume coming in from loud noises within the environment. Noise reduction works to make it more comfortable for you to hear. It does not improve your ability to hear better or clearer.
The noise reduction feature in most hearing aids can help to automatically adjust the sound in loud environments. Some hearing aids will then increase the volume if there is detected soft speech occurring. This way, the person can hear the best sounds possible based on their needs without having to manually change their hearing aid settings.
Hearing aids with noise reduction feature modulation-based systems. These systems work to pick up on the different types of sound present and the speech levels within the environment. Because the hearing aid can tell the difference in the signals between speech and environmental noise, it can then detect what sounds to increase the sound for and which to reduce. That means it can:
This noise reduction feature has become improved in recent years, allowing for better, more comprehensive quality of hearing in loud environments. Ultimately, this means that you do not have to find yourself unable to hear well in difficult situations any longer.
The following hearing aids are some of the best in terms of their noise reduction abilities. If you are having a hard time hearing others in loud environments, set up a hearing test to get more insight into what hearing aid is best suited for your needs.
You may wish to ask about these particular hearing aids and how they work:
The Oticon More is one of the most effective options on the market for various types of hearing loss. It is designed to support the way your brain functions by providing the brain with more information to better understand what’s occurring around you. A key benefit it offers is the onboard Deep Neural Network, which can help the brain to function better through learned experience. With more than 12 million sounds from real life within the hearing aid, it can significantly improve your ability to understand the sounds around you.
When it comes to utilizing the Oticon More in noisy situations, noise reduction is available and can provide a marked improvement in your ability to hear well. The company notes that the Oticon More can get 30% more sound to the brain, and it can increase speech understanding by as much as 15%. It also can help to reduce listening effort by as much as 30% over a period of time. Hearing with less effort is critical to ensuring long-term quality of life.
Another excellent option for many people with environmental background struggles is the Phonak Lumity. The device is impressive in how it works because it focuses on providing true speech understanding. That means it works to make it easier to listen in all situations, including loud ones. This device has some great other features, including being waterproof, sweatproof, and offering health data tracking features.
The Lumity does well for several reasons, including its artificial intelligence-based machine learning abilities. This works to make it possible to identify sounds in the environment more effectively. The device is always training and learning over time so that it can continue to meet your needs in any environment. It also includes SpeechSensor, which detects where the sound of speech is coming from so that it can adjust to hear in that direction better, leading to a 15% increase in understanding speech and an 11% reduction in listening effort.
The Signia Styletto AX hearing aid is an excellent choice for those struggling with hearing loss, especially in loud environments. These rechargeable hearing aids have an award-winning design that's hard to see once in place. It offers other good features too, such as recharging on the go and connectivity to smartphones. When it comes to sound improvement, there are a number of ways this device can help.
One of the benefits of this is its use of the Signia AX platform, called the Augmented Xperience platform. It incorporates the use of Augmented Focus, which is a unique way for the device to split speech sounds from the sounds in the environment, making it easier to hear in a loud environment. This makes it possible for people to have clarity in sound even when they are in a more noisy environment. This is done seamlessly, allowing you to see a noticeable improvement in any situation.
The Widex Moment Sheer uses the PureSound platform. This makes it a hearing aid that is beneficial to people who have minimal hearing loss as well as profound hearing loss. It has a lot of nice features, including full connectivity, a 29-hour battery time without streaming, and a simple, rechargeable style. It also allows for ample streaming connectivity and a solid design that’s comfortable to wear.
Its ability to listen to noise makes it a must for some people. It uses True-Input technology and a high definition locator to adjust to the sounds based on the environment itself. It includes noise reduction and soft level noise reduction, which can make hearing more comfortable in all types of environments. The hearing aid also provides directional focus features, which can help to improve conversations with others. The Speech Enhancer feature also works to improve the sound quality that people have, making it a big improvement in any noisy environment.
How Can You Get the Help You Need?
If you are struggling with any type of hearing loss, don’t wait to get help. Set up a hearing test with a local audiologist to learn more about what could be happening with your hearing. Not only can you learn if your hearing needs support you can also work with your audiologist to get a better idea of which hearing aid is best suited for your needs.
