Have you ever awoke after a night’s sleep and heard birds singing a delightful song through your open window? Turns out, there’s a name for all those birdsongs: 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 sounding together, are a beautiful symphony.
Of course, if you have neglected hearing loss, you may not hear the dawn chorus at all. And that’s unfortunate.
There are a lot 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 dismissed. 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
When you think about summer, you most likely start off imagining the sun in a blue sky. And, a really, really hot sun (whew). And then you start to imagine the summer soundtrack that goes along with this vision. Some sounds you may think about:
- The sound of birds chirping, particularly in the spring during, ahem, mating season. (Humans aren’t the only species to employ love songs.)
- The sound of your grandkids laughing and playing.
- The crashing of waves on the beach (or a babbling creek if you’re in a more landlocked area).
- Peepers and crickets chirping a symphony as the sun goes down.
- Bees buzzing around helping nature bloom by pollinating flowers.
You get the idea. There are lots of sounds happening. These are the sounds that complete your summer, give it texture, and help deliver that overall vibe. Plus, there is so much happiness in these everyday summertime sounds themselves.
If these summer sounds (or any summer sounds) seem different to you these days, it’s most likely because an apparent level of hearing loss has effectively snuck up on you. If you have noticed your hearing loss then you should get some help with it.
Hearing aids can help you enjoy summer
For most individuals, hearing aids are really about building relationships. They’re about communication. They make it easier to talk to others, to hear what’s happening around you, and to enjoy the sounds that you hear. And at those summer barbecues, for example, that’s even more important.
The latest models of hearing aids can help you savor the sounds of summer, and they come with some rather amazing built in tech, as well. Here are some examples of some of that potent technology:
- Smartphone compatibility: You can start to enjoy all types of features by syncing your hearing aid to your smartphone. Many cell phones will now allow you to download apps that help you manage the settings on your hearing aids, so you can adjust for birdsong or grandkid’s laughter depending on what you want to hear at that time.
- Noise reduction: If you want to hear the crashing of the waves, but not the thunder of traffic behind you, you’ll want hearing aids that can help you sort through these sounds (in the same way 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.
- 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.
- Rechargeability: You can recharge your hearing aid while you sleep and enjoy full batteries all through the day. It’s much like charging your cellphone. This also makes traveling with hearing aids much easier.
- Bluetooth Connectivity: Perhaps you want some music playing while you’re out on the boat. Well, your hearing aids can be synced to the boat’s stereo using Bluetooth.
- Machine learning: Fancy algorithms (called machine learning) can help your hearing aids adjust to what you need, even before you know you need it. In loud settings or when eliminating specific sounds, this can be especially convenient.
We can help you learn how your particular hearing needs can be met by your hearing aids (for example, you can ask whether you can wear them while you’re going for a swim or hiking up a mountain, that kind of thing). Hearing aids usually don’t play well with water. But in general, your hearing aids will make your summer an all around livelier experience.
You’ll also want to ask us some standard questions about your hearing aid models. For example, you should ask, can hot weather affect my hearing aids? And you should also ask, how do I safeguard my hearing aids from moisture in the air? 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 everybody’s ears are at risk even if they don’t have pre-existing hearing loss. Some of those sounds include:
- Boat engines: These engines are loud, so exercise some caution about distance and exposure time. Try not to keep the motor idling when you’re fishing. Or, better yet, put in some earplugs for the entirety of your boat trip.
- 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 use some caution and be selective about which concerts you attend and wear earplugs.
- Fireworks: Dogs have the right idea. Your hearing can definitely be damaged by fireworks. Furthermore, being close to home-launched fireworks can also be harmful to your hearing (and limbs). It’s best for your hearing to keep away from fireworks completely.
This is only a partial list. For people who are dealing with hearing loss, summer may have a few less of these noisy activities.
That said, you might not be capable of, or even want to, stay away from all loud noises during the summer. So what’s the strategy? Well, you can use ear protection. Popping in a set of earplugs before you see any live music show can mitigate much of the damage, for instance. But it’s important that the hearing protection you chooses is reliable.
Enjoy the sounds of summer
If you are dealing with hearing loss, the sounds of summer might feel like they’re getting further and further away (even as the heat of summer becomes more and more oppressive). Which means, a lot of the joy of the season could pass you by.
So you may need to pay us a visit if you want to make sure you get the most from your summer. We will be able to determine whether your hearing is waning or not, and what type of hearing aid will be best for your situation.
So if you want to enjoy the dawn chorus, that’s where you need to start. Because birdsongs are only the beginning of those amazing summer sounds.
Get a hearing tune-up this summer. Schedule an appointment today to find out which hearing aids are right for you!