Your brain is a key part of how you hear and process sound. Hearing is not just about your ears. Dr. Timothy Steele, of the Associated Audiologists, explains how hearing aids can help many people understand and connect hearing and understanding.
Imagine you are in a busy restaurant.
The server will tell you the daily specials. It’s difficult to understand what she is saying. You can hear a couple of children fighting at two tables in front of you, a baby fussing in a corner of the restaurant and seamless clinking glassware throughout the restaurant. There is also the stacking plates and the clinking silverware. Was the server referring to lamb or ham? Are you asking her to take your order or is she referring to ham? You can hear her speaking, but it’s not clear if they’re making sense.
Understanding is about listening and focusing.
This is what makes the difference between understanding and hearing. It is not easy to hear a sound, but it is much easier to process it.
Think about how speech sounds reach you. The words that your server says must pass through your middle ear, inner ears, and auditory nerves to the brain. There, the brain must process the sounds to register and understand them. You may not be able to comprehend the background noise from the restaurant, such as children playing, cooking, or other activities.
Even people with normal hearing can have difficulty understanding speech. The brain might be distracted by another activity and not be able to understand the sounds we hear.
Did you ever drive and turn off the radio to focus on your destination instead of driving?
Your brain is telling you it needs more space for one type of information. It works the other way around: If your attention is on radio news, it’s likely that you aren’t paying much attention to what you’re doing behind the wheel.
Finding the right balance between background noise and meaningful sounds
Speech becomes more difficult if you have inner ear damage or hearing loss. Your audiologist can help. Your audiologist will evaluate your ability to hear and recognize sounds in a soundproof room. Your hearing aid options will be reviewed by your audiologist after this hearing evaluation.
Because not all hearing instruments are the same, Associated Audiologists customizes hearing aid technology recommendations to meet your individual needs. We also have verification measures to ensure that your hearing aids fit perfectly. We also use the most cutting-edge technology.
The best hearing aids are worth the money. Every hearing aid has a processor that is designed to pick up speech in noisy situations. Although it won’t block background noise, the more advanced processors will make it easier to hear the important sounds.
There are many other factors that can affect your hearing aids’ effectiveness, such as:
- Your residual ability
- The listening environment
- Your hearing aid technology
- This is how technology works.
Your hearing aids should be worn every day. The more they are used, the easier it is for your brain to process sound. Your hearing aids will help you understand the basics in a complex or noisy situation.
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