Have you ever woken up after a night’s sleep and heard birds singing a delightful song through your open window? So happens, 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 singing together, are a lovely symphony.
But you might not notice the “dawn chorus” at all if you have untreated hearing loss. Which is a shame.
There are a lot of incredible 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. The good news in these situations is that a device like a hearing aid could help you appreciate and more fully enjoy your summer.
The sounds of summer
When you think about summer, you likely 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 goes along with this vision. Some sounds you may think about:
- The buzzing of bees as they fly around pollinating flowers and helping the landscape bloom.
- The sound of your grandkids playing and laughing.
- The sound of birds singing, especially in the spring during, ahem, mating season. (Humans aren’t the only species to employ love songs.)
- Peepers and crickets chirping a symphony as the sun goes down.
- The babbling of a creek 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 deliver that overall vibe. And these sounds by themselves bring great joy.
It’s possible that hearing loss might have snuck up on you, particularly if these or any other summer sounds sound to be foreign to you these days. Once you’ve detected that issue, the next step is to do something about it.
Hearing aids can help you enjoy summer
Building connections is what hearing aids are really about for most. They’re about communication. You’ll be more aware of what’s happening around you, better able to communicate with people around you, and enjoy the sounds in your world. And that’s especially significant at those summer barbecues, for instance.
Modern hearing aids have some incredible technology that will help you bask in those summer sounds. For example, most contemporary hearing aids provide:
- Bluetooth Connectivity: Boating on the lake and want to listen to some music? Well, your hearing aids can be synced to the boat’s stereo via Bluetooth.
- Rechargeability: You can recharge your hearing aid while sleeping and enjoy full batteries throughout the day. It’s much like charging your cellphone. This also makes traveling with hearing aids much easier.
- Automatic programming: Modern hearing aids can automatically adapt to new environments or times of day, depending on how you program them. This makes them easier to use and more effective.
- Noise reduction: You’ll want to have hearing aids that can sort through specific sounds (your ears used to do this) so you can appreciate those crashing waves without having the traffic behind you amplified too. 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 advanced intelligent algorithms, to adjust to your audio landscape before you even knew it needed to. This is especially handy when filtering sounds or in a loud environment.
- Smartphone compatibility: You can start to enjoy all types of features by syncing your hearing aid to your smartphone. Many phones will now allow you to download apps that help you control 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.
We can help you discover how your specific hearing needs can be met by your hearing aids (you can ask us whether you can take your hearing aids into the water or on a mountain hike for example). Hearing aids and water-sports don’t always get along. But all in all, 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 can I protect my hearing aids from humidity? Depending on the model of hearing aid, the answer to these questions will vary.
Some loud sounds you may want to avoid
Some summer sounds, unlike the dawn chorus, will be harmful to your ears and you should be certain to avoid them. These noisy sounds are a real hazard! And everyone’s ears are vulnerable even if they don’t have pre-existing hearing loss. Here are some of those sounds:
- Live music: Outdoor concerts are a big part of summer, but they can be damaging to your ears. So you may want to exercise some caution and be picky about which concerts you attend and use earplugs.
- Boat engines: Be cautious of how close you get and how long you spend around these engines because they are really loud. When you’re fishing, turn the engine off. Or, an even better idea would be to use some earplugs.
- Fireworks: Dogs have the right idea. Your hearing can definitely be harmed by fireworks. This includes both commercial and home launched fireworks. It’s best for your hearing to stay away from fireworks entirely.
This list is not exhaustive. Summer fun for individuals who have hearing loss might not include quite as many of those fireworks and loud noise conditions.
But even with hearing loss you probably won’t want to avoid every loud summer event. So what’s the solution? Using ear protection is the best option. 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 reliable ear protection.
Enjoy the sounds of summer
As the heat of summer gets more oppressive, if you have hearing loss, the summer sounds may feel like they’re getting further away. 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 out of your summer. We can help identify the state of your hearing and, if necessary, help decide what type of hearing aid will best suit your needs.
So start here if you’re ready to enjoy the dawn chorus. Because birdsongs are only the beginning of those amazing summer sounds.
Get your hearing tuned up this summer. Schedule an appointment today to find out which hearing aids are best for you!