Are Hearing Aids for Me?
The critical variable is whether you experience difficulty hearing or are having increased stress and strain in your daily function. Amplification may relieve the strain of hearing, as opposed to making sounds louder or even improving your understanding of speech. This alone can be a very significant benefit. You must ask yourself whether you find you are becoming stressed or fatigued after a day of straining to listen. Ask yourself whether the ability to hear, but not understand, is adequate for your needs. Unselfishly examine whether you are becoming a burden to your family and friends, even if you do not personally recognize difficulty hearing. Remember that wearing a hearing aid is not necessarily a mark of infirmary, rather it is a mark of courtesy to others. Thus, sometimes it is advisable to arrange to try hearing aids within your own unique environments to determine whether the benefit warrants the expense.
About Audiograms
Get a hearing test and find out. Here is how you do it!
What's a audiogram? An audiogram is the test results you
receive when you take a hearing test. A very highly calibrated machine that
produces sound at the pitches associated with human speech, called an
audiometer, is hooked up to a pair of headphones that you wear. The person
giving the test will chart the volume level at which you detect each pitch or
tone across the frequency range where human speech takes place.
After the hearing test the person giving the test will usually go over
it with and show you how your hearing compares with what is considered normal
hearing. It is a very simple test much like the way we get our eyes tested -
no studying required!
Where can I get a hearing test??
You can get your hearing tested free or for very little cost at
any hearing aid dispenser or audiologist. Check the yellow pages under Hearing
Aids. Make sure you ask for a copy of the hearing test results, your
audiogram, when setting up the appointment.
At Advanced Hearing we will be glad to give you a second opinion on your
hearing for free. We will tell you if you need hearing aids, which type of
hearing aids will help you, and the cost of those hearing aids. There is no
charge for our consultation.
You can get a free hearing test online as well. While this is no substitute for the evaluation of a trained professional, the information may be useful to you.
The links below will give you the information you need to
evaluate your audiogram.
Is it necessary to wear two hearing aids, or can I get by with one?
There are four main reasons why binaural (two eared) listening is superior to
monaural (one eared) listening. They are:
-
Better Hearing in Noise: An individual's hearing in noise can be improved if
the signal reaching each ear arrives at a slightly different moment in time.
This is technically referred to as phase. When the brain receives slightly
different, yet still audible signals at the two ears, it has the ability to
cross-correlate and process the primary signal (usually speech) better than if
the signal is received monaurally.
-
Improved Signal versus Noise Level from Optimizing Position: Sound loses
intensity (loudness) when it travels across the head. This occurs mostly for
the high frequencies which are the most important for understanding of
consonants, such as /s/, /t/, /f/, and /sh/. If you have a hearing aid on only
one ear, say the left one; and the person you wish to hear is speaking to you
from the right side, the consonants may be decreased by nearly 20 decibels by
the time it gets to your aided ear. Unfortunately, noise in the room may occur
from any or all directions, so while the noise level is not decreased, the
speech level is. Wearing two hearing aids ensures that the speech sounds will
not be diminished any more than necessary because of your position in the room.
-
Improved Localization Ability: We determine where a sound is coming from on
the basis of 1) the relative time in which the sound arrives at each ear, 2)
the relative difference in loudness at the two ears, and 3) the relative
difference in the pitch of the sound at the two ears. When there is a large
difference in hearing between two ears (as might occur when a person with
similar hearing in both ears only wears one hearing aid) the brain cannot make
use of these subtle relative differences and their ability to locate sounds
may suffer.
-
Possible Deterioration of the Unaided Ear: We hear in our brain, not in our
ears. The ultimate goal of hearing aids is not just to send sound into the
ear. It is also essential to retrain the central auditory system in the brain.
While it is uncertain whether hearing sensitivity (ability to hear soft
sounds) will decrease if your ear is not stimulated adequately, research now
suggests that there can be changes in the way in which your brain processes
sound when it is "starved." Thus, providing stimulation may be important in
preserving your auditory potential.
Protecting Your Hearing
Hearing loss can occur as part of the natural aging process. Other hearing
losses are the result of exposure to factors at both work and home. Some types
of hearing loss can be prevented.
Second only to aging, exposure to loud noise is the most common cause of hearing
loss. Loud sounds, such as gunshots, firecrackers or jet engines, may cause
permanent hearing loss. Moderate noise levels over time can also cause hearing
loss. The noise may be quieter but, if it lasts longer, it will still damage
the ear. Common items, such as power tools or a vacuum cleaner, have this capability.
Ear muffs or foam earplugs can help reduce or prevent hearing loss. The law
requires employers to provide hearing protection for employees in noisy work
areas. Hunters and target shooters are trained to wear ear protection when firing
guns. Teens can enjoy a loud concert without hearing loss by wearing earplugs.
Pregnant women can reduce the chance of congenital hearing loss by:
- getting prenatal care and
- avoiding viral infections that may result in fetal deafness in the first
three months of pregnancy
Children should have routine hearing screenings, starting at birth. This is
essential in reducing the effect of a hearing loss on speech and language, as
well as, social and emotional development. Treatment can often significantly
improve a child's hearing loss.
Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is never too
early, or too late, to protect the hearing you have. If you suspect a hearing
loss, contact your healthcare provider. He or she may perform a hearing exam,
or may refer you to an audiologist for a more comprehensive exam.
Excerpt from uihealthcare.com/topics/hearing/hear4689.html