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”. For whatever reason, birds see the sun coming up and choose to start singing their favorite songs. The songs of these birds, when they’re all singing together, are a beautiful symphony.
Of course, if you have untreated hearing loss, you may not notice the dawn chorus at all. Which is a pity.
That’s particularly true because it’s not just birdsong you might be missing out on. Summer is full of incredible sounds. And if you find yourself oblivious to the sounds of summer, it may be the result of some undiagnosed (or diagnosed and neglected) hearing loss. 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
When you think about summer, you probably start off imagining the sun in a blue sky. And, a really, really hot sun (whew). And then you begin to visualize the summer soundtrack that comes with this vision. You may be thinking about:
- The sound of birds singing, especially in the spring during, ahem, mating season. (Humans aren’t the only species to employ love songs.)
- The crashing of waves on the beach (or a babbling brook if you’re in a more landlocked area).
- Bees buzzing around helping nature bloom by pollinating flowers.
- Something as simple as your grandkids laughing, perhaps as they run about the yard or as you watch a baseball game with each other.
- The symphony of frogs croaking at night, particularly in the early hours of the night.
You get the idea. There are a bunch of sounds going on. These are the sounds that fill in your summer, give it quality, and help create that overall vibe. Plus, there is so much happiness in these simple sounds themselves.
It’s feasible that hearing loss might have crept up on you, particularly if these or any other summer sounds seem to be foreign to you these days. If you have detected your hearing loss then you need to get some help with it.
Hearing aids can help you enjoy summer
Building relationships is what hearing aids are really all about for most. Communication is key. They make it easier to converse with 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 important.
The newest models of hearing aids can help you savor the sounds of summer, and they come with some rather great built in tech, too. For instance, most contemporary hearing aids offer:
- Bluetooth Connectivity: Out on the boat and want to enjoy some music? Well, your hearing aids can be synced to the boat’s stereo via Bluetooth.
- 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 manage the settings on your hearing aids using an app you can download on most smartphones.
- Automatic programming: You can dial in your modern hearing aids to automatically switch settings depending on the time of day or setting you find yourself in. This makes them simpler to use and more effective.
- 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 (just like your ears once did). Noise reduction features are common in modern hearing aids so you will be able to dial in the sounds you 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 knew it needed to. This is particularly handy when filtering sounds or in a loud environment.
- Rechargeability: You can recharge your hearing aid while sleeping and get full batteries all through the day. It’s much like charging your cellphone. And when you travel with your hearing aids, it becomes especially hassle free.
We can help you learn how your specific hearing needs can be met by your hearing aids (you can ask us if you can take your hearing aids into the water or on a mountain hike for instance). Hearing aids and water-sports don’t always play nice together. But you will have a deeper overall summer experience with your hearing aids.
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? Depending on the model of hearing aid, the answer to these questions will differ.
Maybe stay away from these sounds
As much as you enjoy 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 steer clear of them. These loud sounds are a real hazard! And they’re damaging to everyone’s ears, not just people with pre-existing hearing loss. Here are a few of those sounds:
- Fireworks: Dogs have the right idea. Going to fireworks shows can certainly harm your ears. Furthermore, being close to home-launched fireworks can also be harmful to your hearing (and limbs). Best to just stay away from fireworks altogether.
- Live music: Outdoor concerts are a fun part of summer, but they can be harmful to your hearing. So you might want to exercise some caution and be selective about which concerts you attend and wear earplugs.
- Boat engines: These engines are loud, so use some caution about distance and exposure time. Try not to keep the motor idling when you’re fishing. Or, an even better plan would be to put in some earplugs.
This list isn’t exhaustive. For individuals who are coping with hearing loss, summer might have a few less of these noisy events.
But even with hearing loss you probably won’t want to avoid every loud summer event. So what’s the solution? Well, you can use ear protection. For instance, before you go to a concert, put in a pair of earplugs so you can decrease most of the damage. You just need to make sure you’re using effective 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 seem like they’re getting further away. Which means, much of the joy of the season could pass you by.
So you may need to come in and see us if you want to be certain that you get the most out of your summer. We can help figure out the state of your hearing and, if needed, help determine what kind of hearing aid will be the best choice for you.
So if you want to appreciate the dawn chorus, that’s where you should start. Because birdsongs are just the beginning of those incredible summer sounds.
Get your hearing tuned up this summer. Call us for a hearing test and discover if hearing aids are the right option for you.
