Have you ever slept with your bedroom window open and woken up to the lovely sound of birds singing as the sun is coming up? Most individuals 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 belt out their best melody. The songs of these birds, when they’re all sounding together, are a beautiful symphony.
Of course, if you have neglected 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 may be missing. And you might be missing those summer sounds because you have hearing loss that’s gone undiagnosed or simply ignored. But you can begin to enjoy all of those wonderful summer sounds again with the help of a device like a hearing aid.
The sounds of summer
You most likely think of a very hot sun in a clear blue sky when you think of summer. And then you begin to imagine the summer soundtrack that goes along with this vision. You might be thinking about:
- Peepers and crickets chirping a symphony as the sun goes down.
- Bees buzzing about helping nature bloom by pollinating flowers.
- The sound of birds performing mating songs. (Humans aren’t the only species to utilize love songs.)
- The sound of your grandchildren laughing and playing.
- The babbling of a brook or the crashing of waves.
You get the point. Summer is lively with amazing sounds. These are the sounds that fill in your summer, give it texture, and help establish that overall vibe. And these sounds in and of themselves bring great happiness.
If these summer sounds (or any summer sounds) seem different to you these days, it’s likely because a noticeable level of hearing loss has effectively snuck up on you. If you have detected your hearing loss then you should get something done about it.
Your summer can be more enjoyable with hearing aids
Building relationships is what hearing aids are really all about for most. They’re about communication. You’ll be more aware of what’s taking place around you, better able to communicate with those around you, and enjoy the sounds in your world. And at those summer barbecues, for example, that’s even more important.
Modern hearing aids have some fantastic technology that will help you savor those summer sounds. For example, most modern hearing aids provide:
- Bluetooth Connectivity: Out on the boat and want to listen to some tracks? Well, your hearing aids can be synced to the boat’s stereo using 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 out these sounds (in the same way your ears once did). Modern hearing aids have substantial noise reduction features, so you can hear what you actually want to hear.
- Rechargeability: You can recharge your hearing aid while you sleep and enjoy full batteries throughout the day. Basically, you can charge your hearing aids the same way you charge your cellphone. This also makes traveling with hearing aids a lot easier.
- Automatic programming: You can program your modern hearing aids to automatically adjust settings depending on the time of day or environment you find yourself in. This makes them easier to use and more reliable.
- Smartphone compatibility: You can begin to appreciate all kinds of features by connecting your hearing aid to your smartphone. 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.
- 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. In loud environments or when filtering out specific sounds, this can be especially convenient.
We can help you discover how your specific hearing needs can be met by your hearing aids (for instance, you can ask whether you can wear them while you’re going for a swim or hiking in the country, that kind of thing). Hearing aids frequently don’t play well with water. But as a whole, your hearing aids will make your summer an all around livelier experience.
You’ll also want to ask us some basic questions about your hearing aid models. 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? The answer to both questions will depend on the model of hearing aid you use.
Some loud sounds you may want to steer clear of
Some summer sounds, unlike the dawn chorus, will be harmful to your hearing and you should be certain to avoid them. These are sounds that are, well, noisy! And everybody’s ears are at risk even if they don’t have pre-existing hearing loss. Some of those sounds include:
- Live music: It’s a lot of fun to attend a live music concert but the loud volume can be damaging to your ears. So you may want to exercise some caution and be selective about which shows you attend and wear earplugs.
- Fireworks: The dogs are on to something. Your hearing can most certainly be damaged by fireworks. This includes both commercial and home launched fireworks. It’s best for your hearing to stay away from fireworks completely.
- Boat engines: These engines are loud, so exercise some caution about proximity and duration. Try not to leave the motor running when you’re fishing. Or, an even better plan would be to put in some earplugs.
This is only a partial list. For individuals who are dealing with hearing loss, summer might have a few less of these noisy activities.
But even with hearing loss you probably won’t want to avoid every noisy summer event. So what can you do? Wearing ear protection is the best option. For example, before you go to a live show, put in a set of earplugs so you can decrease most of the damage. You just need to make sure you’re using reliable ear protection.
Enjoy the sounds of summer
As the heat of summer becomes more oppressive, if you are dealing with hearing loss, the summer sounds may feel 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, might require coming to see us. We can help figure out the state of your hearing and, if needed, help decide what kind of hearing aids will best suit your needs.
So if you want to enjoy the dawn chorus, that’s where you need to start. And you’ll also be able to enjoy all of the other wonderful summer sounds.
Get your hearing tuned up this summer. Make an appointment today to find out which hearing aids are right for you!