Hearing in Noise

For a person with hearing loss, noisy environments are frustrating.  They are unable to hear most things very clearly.  Conversations are mumbled and noise is just plain noise.  It is frustrating, tiring and unenjoyable.  So how can hearing aids make this easier on a person?  Won’t it just make everything louder?  Yes, hearing aids do make sounds louder, but with today’s digital technology, noisy environments are not a problem anymore.

In the past, hearing aids had one program which made everything essentially louder; this was great for many in some environments, but still made it hard in noisy environments where there was lots of background noise present.  A person might have had better access to the conversation because it was louder, but it made the noise louder as well, so the conversation was still near impossible. Ever see a person cup their ear when you are talking to them so they can hear you better?  They are trying to cut out the background noise by directing their ear towards you; the cupping of the hand acts as a barrier to the background noise but as an amplifier towards your voice.

Bring technology forward a few decades, and hearing aids have truly changed their tune.  Developers realized this problem with background noise and knew that something needed to be done to improve sound in noise.  Thus followed the development of directional microphones.  These directional microphones can adjust to each type of environment, allowing the user to focus and hear what is in front of them while blocking out the sounds behind them.  This is hand cupping at work in a hearing aid!  Different programs are able to be put into a hearing aid, allowing the use of different settings for different types of noisy environments, from a general environment to music such as concerts or the symphony. 

These two components in hearing aids, directional microphones and multiple programs, have changed lives.  They allow users more diversity when it comes to using hearing aids in their daily lives, making it easier and more pleasant to hear in noise.