Have you ever awoke after a night’s sleep and heard birds singing a beautiful song through your open window? Most people probably don’t even know that those bird songs are called 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 beautiful symphony.
But you may not notice the “dawn chorus” at all if you have neglected hearing loss. Which is a pity.
There are lots of amazing sounds during the summer besides birdsongs that you might be missing. And you might be missing those summer sounds because you have hearing loss that’s gone undiagnosed or simply neglected. The good news in these instances is that a device like a hearing aid could help you appreciate and more fully enjoy your summer.
Summer sounds
When you think about summer, you probably begin by visualizing the sun in a blue sky. And, a really, really hot sun (whew). But if you stick with your imagination a little longer, you’ll start adding details that make this blue sky seem more like summer, the sounds that fill in the day. You might be thinking about:
- The crashing of waves on the beach (or a babbling brook if you’re in a more inland area).
- Something as basic as your grandchildren laughing, possibly as they run around the yard or as you watch a baseball game together.
- The sound of birds chirping, particularly in the spring during, ahem, mating season. (Humans aren’t the only species to use love songs.)
- Bees buzzing about helping nature bloom by pollinating flowers.
- Peepers and crickets chirping a symphony as the sun sets.
You get the point. Summer is lively with wonderful sounds. The feeling and vibe of summer are considerably enhanced by these sounds. Plus, there is so much pleasure in these everyday summertime sounds themselves.
If these summer sounds (or any summer sounds) seem foreign to you these days, it’s most likely because an apparent amount of hearing loss has effectively crept up on you. Once you’ve detected that problem, the next step is to do something about it.
Hearing aids can help you enjoy summer
For most, hearing aids are really about creating relationships. Communication is key. They make it easier to talk to others, to hear what’s happening around you, and to appreciate the sounds that you hear. And that’s particularly important 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 offer:
- Machine learning: Your hearing aid can use “machine learning”, which are advanced intelligent algorithms, to adjust to your audio landscape before you even knew it needed to. This is particularly convenient when filtering sounds or in a noisy setting.
- Smartphone compatibility: You can begin to enjoy all kinds of features by connecting your hearing aid to your cellphone. Depending on the particular hearing situation, you will be able to manage the settings on your hearing aids using an app you can download on most cell phones.
- Rechargeability: You can recharge your hearing aid while you sleep and enjoy full batteries all through the day. It’s much like charging your phone. This also makes traveling with hearing aids much easier.
- Automatic programming: You can dial in your modern hearing aids to automatically change settings depending on the time of day or environment you find yourself in. This function makes them more effective and simpler to use.
- Bluetooth Connectivity: Boating on the lake and want to enjoy some tracks? Just sync the boat’s radio to your hearing aids via Bluetooth.
- Noise reduction: If you want to hear the sound of crashing waves, but not the thunder of traffic behind you, you’ll want hearing aids that can help you sort through these sounds (just like your ears used to do). Noise reduction features are common in modern hearing aids so you will be able to dial in the sounds you want to hear.
We can help you learn how your particular hearing needs can be met by your hearing aids (you can ask us whether you can bring your hearing aids into the water or on a mountain hike for example). Hearing aids and water-sports don’t always play nice together. But you will have a richer overall summer experience with your hearing aids.
Also, asking us basic questions about your hearing aid model will be a practical idea. Will your hearing aids have a problem with hot weather, for example? Also, does humidity have any impact on my hearing aid and how can I protect it? The answer to both will depend on the model of hearing aid you use.
Perhaps avoid these sounds
As much as you love the sound of the dawn chorus, there are a few other summer sounds that could actually be harmful to your hearing, so you’ll probably want to avoid them. These are sounds that are, well, loud! And everyone’s ears are at risk even if they don’t have pre-existing hearing loss. Some of those sounds include:
- Live music: It’s great fun to attend a live music concert but the loud volume can be damaging to your hearing. So you may want to exercise some caution and be picky about which shows you attend and wear earplugs.
- Fireworks: The dogs are on to something. Going to fireworks shows can undoubtedly damage your hearing. This includes both commercial and home launched fireworks. Best to simply avoid fireworks altogether.
- Boat engines: Be cautious of how close you get and how long you spend around these engines because they are very loud. Try not to keep the motor running when you’re fishing. Or, better yet, pop in some earplugs for the duration of your boat trip.
This list is not exhaustive. For people who are coping with hearing loss, summer might have a few less of these loud activities.
Having said that, you might not be able to, or even want to, avoid all loud noises over the summer. So what’s the solution? Using ear protection is the best strategy. Putting in a pair of earplugs before you go to any live music show can minimize a lot of the damage, for example. But it’s important that the hearing protection you chooses is reliable.
Have fun this summer and enjoy the sounds
As the heat of summer gets more oppressive, if you are dealing with hearing loss, the summer sounds may seem like they’re getting further away. And that means you might miss a lot of the season’s joy.
Getting the most from your summer then, may require coming to see us. We can help figure out the state of your hearing and, if necessary, help determine what type of hearing aid will best suit your needs.
So if you want to enjoy the dawn chorus, that’s where you should begin. And you’ll also be able to enjoy all of the other wonderful summer sounds.
Get a hearing tune-up this summer. Call us for a hearing assessment and find out if hearing aids are the right option for you.