November is here at last, meaning the holiday season is kicking off! This is the time of year to connect with loved ones and share joy and gratitude together. Just don’t forget that gatherings can be loud and chaotic. As hearing health professionals, we want to discuss how holiday parties and dinner conversations might be affected by your hearing health and vice versa.
Noise Hazards
Noise-induced hearing loss, or NIHL, occurs when the force from sound waves entering the ear is so powerful that it causes damage to the sensory cells inside your ear. The louder the sound, the more powerful the sound wave. Damage can begin starting at 85 decibels.
There aren’t many deafeningly loud sounds that happen at the Thanksgiving dinner table—the volume level of normal conversation is usually around 60 or 70 decibels. But shouting, talking over each other and carrying on loud conversations for a very long time can increase those levels and risk some damage. Background noise, like holiday music or a football game on television, can also raise the volume, especially if people have to raise their voices to be heard over it.
Speech Comprehension
For people with hearing loss, speech comprehension can be difficult. This is because many of the most common pitches in human speech are the first to be damaged, and the auditory complex in the brain may struggle to interpret speech amid hearing gaps.
Group conversations get especially difficult because, on top of speech comprehension, one must also keep track of which speaker is speaking and discern the direction their voice is coming from. This is an immense cognitive load and can lead to feelings of overwhelm, confusion and frustration. Also, during group conversations, our gaze often moves from one speaker to another, and that shifting focus makes it harder to catch nonverbal communication cues, like facial expressions and body language.
What Helps
Whether you’re hosting someone with hearing loss for dinner or you have hearing loss yourself, there are some tips and tricks that can help navigate these environments in a hearing-friendly way.
First, communicate clearly and effectively. Maintain eye contact when possible and enunciate, especially in loud environments. Don’t raise your voice in loud environments, as that contributes to the din and distorts what you’re saying rather than clarifying it.
Next, try to manage noise levels whenever possible. If you’re the host, mute the TV and keep the stereo’s volume at a reasonable level. If you notice your guests are speaking louder to be heard over the music, turn it down. If you’re a guest, don’t be afraid to ask the host to turn it down. Additionally, don’t stand next to the speakers so you aren’t getting blasted by loud music.
Hearing Aids for the Holidays
If you’re a hearing aid user, holiday parties are a perfect time to wear your devices. They can help with speech amplification and filter out background noise, which will help with all the noise and hearing hazards outlined above.
If you haven’t been tested for hearing loss yet but suspect you might need hearing help, now is a great time to schedule a hearing test. Hearing loss can make the holiday season much more stressful and overwhelming than it already is. To discuss scheduling a hearing test and getting started with hearing loss treatment, call our office at South Valley Ear Nose & Throat – West Jordan.