Protect your Hearing
Frequent or prolonged exposure to loud noise (85dB+)
is dangerous and damaging to your hearing. The tiny
hair cells of the inner ear can be damaged by an intense
one-off impulse, such as an explosion, or by continuous
and / or repeated exposure to noise. Examples of noise
levels considered dangerous by experts are using a
lawnmower, attending a rock concert, using firearms,
setting off fireworks, using headphones to listen to loud
music, riding motorcycles, driving HGVs and using
household appliances (food processors for example).
All of these can measure over 90 decibels and some up
to 140dB. It is so important that if you are going to be
exposed to noise levels exceeding 85dB, you should
always use hearing protection to prevent damage to your
hearing. If you already have a hearing loss, it’s even more
important to avoid extreme noise as the damage may
be accelerated.
Better hearing with both ears
We are born with two ears for a good reason. Just as
you use both eyes to focus better, see things in more
perspective and judge distances accurately; this is the
same with your hearing as you need two ears to hear
properly. Hearing with two ears allows us to hear sounds
more accurately, giving improved perception of space,
direction and balance. When there is a hearing loss
present in both ears, even if one ear is worse than the
other, wearing two aids provides the most benefit. Thus
enabling you to hear voices from further away, tell where
they are coming from, and listen and understand more
clearly in the presence of
distracting background
noises.
Auditory
Deprivation
Do you become tired by trying to fill in the
gaps that you can't hear in a conversation?
Have you noticed that you tend to avoid
participating in group situations and feel
a loss of self-esteem and confidence?
This is because a hearing loss causes decreasing
levels of sound stimulation reaching the brain,
gradually over a long period of time. This is known
as auditory deprivation. It is extremely important
to recognise this condition as soon as possible
as the longer it is ignored, the more likely it is
that your brain will become increasingly tired with
the extra effort required for a conversation, and
the harder it is to reverse with hearing aids.
It is also important to wear two hearing aids,
as just wearing one can also cause auditory
deprivation. This is because the ear without
the hearing aid is being deprived of sound
stimulation and will gradually weaken over time.
Rediscovering
Sound
Hearing aids can lift the cloud to reveal a
world of sounds that seemed lost and gone
forever. They can make a startling difference
to your life.
If you have waited a long time before getting
hearing aids, certain new sounds might seem
rather loud or distracting. This is because the
brain forgets what it was like to be able to
hear those sounds, and it has to remember
them all over again. In the same way a
newborn baby is drawn to new and exciting
stimuli, the hearing-impaired brain has to
re-learn to focus on the sounds that are
important, and filter out everything else.
It’s a process that takes time, typically 3 to 9
months. Our job is to support you throughout
that time.
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