Tips for Hearing in Noise
By Patricia B. Kricos, Ph.D.
Editor: Dr. Kricos has been researching and writing about hearing loss
for lots of years, and always has interesting and helpful comments about
dealing with hearing loss. This is the third of a series of articles
written by Dr. Kricos for
BHI, and is
shared with their kind permission. The other articles were Communication
strategies: It takes two to tango!" and "Clear speech for communication
partners."
This is part one of three parts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 2008
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Ask new hearing aid users to name the number one thing they like about
their new hearing aids, and they will probably answer, "I don't have to
strain so much to hear anymore!" Ask them to name the number one thing
they don't like, and they will probably say, "I can't stand the background
noise. It's driving me crazy!"
Despite tremendous advances in hearing aid technology, even with the
latest digital noise reduction circuitry, background noise continues to be
a problem. Problematic background noise is any noise that interferes with
your ability to hear, understand, and/or pay attention to the signal that
you want to hear. Background noise includes traffic noise, music, a
marching band; reverberation, which causes sounds to echo when reflected
off room surfaces; voices such as children playing and laughing, several
people talking at once, or even one person talking in a way that prevents
or distracts you from listening to a signal you want to hear, usually
another talker. Background noises can particularly bother new hearing aid
users during the first few weeks because for years they may not have heard
everyday noises such as screeching brakes, clattering dishes, and rustling
papers. Most long-time hearing aid users will tell you that the sudden
ability to hear annoying noises-loud and clear-is challenging, but the
ability to tolerate these noises does get better with time. Remember, you
probably have not been hearing much background noise since the onset of
your gradual hearing loss.
Experienced hearing aid user or not, noise can affect you in at least
two ways. First, it can make it nearly impossible to understand what
someone is saying because the noise is louder than the signal you want to
hear. Second, noise may be a problem because it distracts you from what
the speaker is saying. Even a voice softer than that of the person you are
trying to hear can take your attention away from the main source to which
you need or want to listen. Although there is no cure for the problems
that hearing aid users often experience with distracting noises, some
options may at least lessen problems with background noise:
* two hearing aids, rather than just one
* hearing aids with digital signal processing
* hearing aids with a directional microphone option
* FM technology
* auditory training
* communication strategies
Two Hearing Aids or One?
A number of advantages of wearing two hearing aids include better
ability to hear sound from either side, increased loudness of sound when
two ears are listening, and ability to locate where sounds are occurring.
Using two hearing aids will improve speech understanding in noise for most
people, at least in normal, everyday communication situations. Some
listeners will actually do better with just one hearing aid in either the
right ear or the left, but the bulk of scientific evidence to date
indicates better and easier speech perception in typical noisy listening
situations for the wearer with two hearing aids.
Digital Signal Processing Hearing Aids
In the past decade, the development of digital hearing aids has created
advances in signal processing strategies. Hearing aids with digital signal
processing (DSP) differentiate between speech and noise, and they turn
down the volume when they identify noise. Many people who wear hearing
aids with DSP circuitry report less stress because the background noise
seems to fade and the quality of speech is better. Although helpful,
hearing aids with digital noise reduction at this time are not perfect and
cannot completely remove problems associated with trying to listen in
noise. As research in this area continues, we probably will see advances
in noise reduction technology.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
