Have you ever awoke after a night’s sleep and heard birds singing a pleasant song through your open window? Most individuals probably don’t even know that the name for those bird-songs is the “dawn chorus”. Birds see the sunrise and, for some reason, decide it’s time to sing out their favorite melody. The songs of these birds, when they’re all singing together, are a lovely symphony.
Of course, if you have untreated hearing loss, you might not notice the dawn chorus at all. Which is a shame.
There are lots of amazing sounds during the summer besides birdsongs that you might be missing. And if you find yourself oblivious to the sounds of summer, it might be because of some undiagnosed (or diagnosed and ignored) hearing loss. The good news in these instances is that a device like a hearing aid could help you appreciate and enjoy your summer days more fully.
The sounds of summer
You likely think of a really hot sun in a clear blue sky when you think of summer. And then you start to imagine the summer soundtrack that comes with this vision. You may be thinking about:
- Bees buzzing around helping nature bloom by pollinating flowers.
- The symphony of frogs croaking at night, particularly in the early hours of the evening.
- The sound of birds chirping, particularly in the spring during, ahem, mating season. (Humans aren’t the only species to use love songs.)
- The sound of your grandchildren laughing and playing.
- The crashing of waves on the beach (or a babbling creek if you’re in a more inland area).
You get the idea. There are a bunch of sounds happening. These are the sounds that complete your summer, give it quality, and help deliver that overall vibe. Plus, there is so much joy in these everyday summertime sounds themselves.
It’s possible that hearing loss may have snuck up on you, especially if these or any other summer sounds sound to be foreign to you these days. Once you’ve detected that problem, the next step is to do something about it.
Hearing aids can help you enjoy summer
Building relationships is what hearing aids are really about for most. Communication is key. They make it easier to converse with others, to hear what’s happening around you, and to enjoy the sounds that you hear. And that’s particularly significant at those summer barbecues, for instance.
Modern hearing aids have some amazing technology that will help you bask in those summer sounds. For instance, most contemporary hearing aids provide:
- Noise reduction: If you want to hear the crashing of the waves, but not the thunder of traffic behind you, you’ll want hearing aids that can help you sort through these sounds (in the same way your ears once did). Noise reduction features are normal in modern hearing aids so you will be able to dial in the sounds you want to hear.
- Bluetooth Connectivity: Perhaps you want some music playing while you’re out boating. Well, your hearing aids can be synced to the boat’s stereo using Bluetooth.
- Automatic programming: Modern hearing aids can automatically adapt to new settings or times of day, depending on how you program them. This makes them simpler to use and more effective.
- Rechargeability: Your battery will stay charged all day after charging while you sleep at night. Essentially, you can charge your hearing aids in the same way you charge your cellphone. This also makes traveling with hearing aids a lot easier.
- Machine learning: Your hearing aid can utilize “machine learning”, which are sophisticated intelligent algorithms, to adapt to your audio landscape before you even knew it needed to. This is especially handy when filtering sounds or in a noisy environment.
- Smartphone compatibility: You can connect your hearing aids to your smartphone and start making the most of all sorts of features. Depending on the particular hearing situation, you will be able to control the settings on your hearing aids by utilizing an app you can download on most cell phones.
You can ask us about how your set of hearing aids are suitable for your favorite activities (for instance, you can ask whether you can use them while you’re going for a swim or hiking up a mountain, that sort of thing). Hearing aids and water-sports don’t always play nice together. But as a whole, your hearing aids will make your summer an all around livelier experience.
Also, asking us basic questions about your hearing aid model will be a practical idea. For instance, you should ask, can hot weather impact my hearing aids? Also, does humidity have any impact on my hearing aid and how can I protect it? Depending on the model of hearing aid, the answer to these questions will vary.
Some loud sounds you may want to avoid
As much as you love the sound of the dawn chorus, there are a few other summer sounds that could actually be damaging to your hearing, so you’ll probably want to stay away from them. These are sounds that are, well, noisy! And everyone’s ears are at risk even if they don’t have pre-existing hearing loss. Some of those sounds include:
- Fireworks: The dogs are on to something. Attending fireworks shows can certainly damage your ears. This goes for both commercial and home launched fireworks. It’s best for your hearing to stay away from fireworks completely.
- Live music: It’s great fun to go and see a live music concert but the loud volume can be harmful to your hearing. This means you might want to be particular about which shows you see (rather than going to a festival every weekend).
- Boat engines: Be careful of how close you get and how long you spend near these engines because they are really loud. When you’re fishing, shut the engine off. Or, an even better plan would be to use some earplugs.
This list is not exhaustive. Summer fun for individuals with hearing loss may not include quite as many of those fireworks and loud noise conditions.
Having said that, you might not be able to, or even want to, stay away from all loud noises over the summer. So what can you do? Well, you can use ear protection. Popping in a pair of earplugs before you go to any live music show can mitigate a lot of the damage, for example. You just need to make sure you’re using reliable ear protection.
Have fun this summer and enjoy the sounds
If you are dealing with hearing loss, the sounds of summer could feel like they’re getting further and further away (even as the heat of summer becomes more and more oppressive). And that means you could miss a lot of the season’s joy.
So you may need to come in and see us if you want to make sure you get the most from your summer. We can help figure out the state of your hearing and, if needed, help decide what kind of hearing aid will best suit your needs.
So begin here if you’re ready to appreciate the dawn chorus. Because birdsongs are just the beginning of those awesome summer sounds.
Get the most from your ears this summer and beyond. Call us for a hearing exam and discover if hearing aids are the right choice for you.