Have you ever woken up after a night’s sleep and heard birds singing a pleasant song through your open window? Most people probably don’t even know that those bird songs are called the “dawn chorus”. For whatever reason, birds see the sun rising and decide to start singing their favorite songs. The songs of these birds, when they’re all singing together, are a lovely symphony.
Of course, if you have neglected hearing loss, you may not hear the dawn chorus at all. And that’s unfortunate.
There are lots of incredible sounds during the summer besides birdsongs that you may be missing. And you may be missing those summer sounds because you have hearing loss that’s gone undiagnosed or simply neglected. But you can begin to enjoy all of those wonderful summer sounds again with the help of a device like a hearing aid.
Summer sounds
You most likely think of a very hot sun in a clear blue sky when you think of summer. And then you start to imagine the summer soundtrack that goes along with this vision. You may be thinking about:
- Peepers and crickets chirping a symphony as the sun goes down.
- Bees buzzing around helping nature bloom by pollinating flowers.
- The sound of birds performing mating songs. (Humans aren’t the only species to use love songs.)
- Something as basic as your grandkids laughing, perhaps as they run about the yard or as you catch a baseball game with each other.
- The babbling of a stream or the crashing of waves.
These are just a few examples. Summer is lively with wonderful sounds. These are the sounds that complete your summer, give it texture, and help create that overall vibe. And these sounds by themselves bring great joy.
It’s feasible that hearing loss may have snuck up on you, particularly if these or any other summer sounds sound to be different to you these days. Once you’ve noticed that issue, the next step is to do something about it.
Your summer can be more enjoyable with hearing aids
For most individuals, hearing aids are really about building connections. 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 at those summer cook-outs, for example, that’s even more relevant.
Contemporary hearing aids have some amazing technology that will help you savor those summer sounds. Here are some illustrations of some of that potent technology:
- Automatic programming: Contemporary hearing aids can automatically adjust to new surroundings or times of day, depending on how you program them. This makes them simpler to use and more effective.
- Noise reduction: If you want to hear the sound of crashing waves, but not the roar of traffic behind you, you’ll want hearing aids that can help you sort out these sounds (in the same way your ears once did). Modern hearing aids have significant noise reduction capabilities, so you can hear what you really want to hear.
- Machine learning: Your hearing aid can use “machine learning”, which are sophisticated intelligent algorithms, to adapt to your audio landscape before you even recognized it needed to. This is particularly handy when filtering sounds or in a loud environment.
- Bluetooth Connectivity: Boating on the lake and want to listen to some tunes? Just sync the boat’s radio to your hearing aids using Bluetooth.
- Smartphone compatibility: You can start to appreciate all types of features by syncing your hearing aid to your cellphone. Depending on the specific hearing situation, you will be able to control the settings on your hearing aids using an app you can download on most smartphones.
- Rechargeability: You can recharge your hearing aid while sleeping and enjoy full batteries all through the day. Basically, you can charge your hearing aids in the same way you charge your cellphone. And when you vacation with your hearing aids, it becomes very stress free.
You can ask us about how your set of hearing aids are suited to your favorite activities (for example, you can ask whether you can use them while you’re swimming or hiking up a mountain, that type of thing). Hearing aids and water-sports don’t always get along. But you will have a richer overall summer experience with your hearing aids.
You’ll also want to ask us some standard questions about your hearing aid models. Will your hearing aids have an issue with hot weather, for instance? Also, does humidity have any effect on my hearing aid and how can I protect it? Depending on the model of hearing aid, the answer to these questions will differ.
Some loud sounds you may want to steer clear of
As much as you love the sound of the dawn chorus, there are some other summer sounds that could actually be harmful to your hearing, so you’ll probably want to stay away from them. These noisy sounds are a real hazard! And everybody’s ears are vulnerable even if they don’t have pre-existing hearing loss. Some of those sounds include:
- Boat engines: These engines are loud, so use some caution about proximity and duration. When you’re fishing, shut the engine off. Or, an even better plan would be to put in some earplugs.
- Fireworks: Dogs have the right idea. Your hearing can definitely be harmed by fireworks. This includes both commercial and home launched fireworks. Best to just stay away from fireworks completely.
- Live music: It’s great fun to attend a live music concert but the loud volume can be harmful to your hearing. So you may want to use some caution and be selective about which shows you attend and use earplugs.
This is only a partial list. Summer activities for people who have hearing loss may not include quite as many of those fireworks and loud noise situations.
But even with hearing loss you most likely won’t want to avoid every noisy summer event. So what’s the solution? Wearing ear protection is the best strategy. Popping in a set of earplugs before you see any live music show can minimize a lot of the damage, for instance. You just need to make certain you’re using reliable ear protection.
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 feel like they’re getting further away. And that means you could miss a lot of the season’s joy.
Getting the most out of your summer then, may require coming to see us. We will be able to determine whether your hearing is failing or not, and what type of hearing aid will be best for your situation.
So if you want to appreciate the dawn chorus, that’s where you need to start. And you’ll also be able to enjoy all of the other awesome summer sounds.
Get your hearing tuned up this summer. Call us for a hearing test and find out if hearing aids are the right option for you.