Have you ever found yourself hearing someone but not understanding them? You may know that they’re speaking loud enough but struggle to distinguish between the specific words they say. When this happens, words like “bread” and “thread” or “15”and “50” can get intermingled, leading to confusion and extra mental effort to understand. Let’s take a look at why people with hearing loss often struggle to distinguish between words and what you can do about it.
Why Does Hearing Loss Affect Word Distinguishment?
Sound frequency is measured in hertz (Hz). Though it may vary a little from person to person, the range of sound frequency humans can hear is roughly 16 to 16,000 Hz. The majority of human speech sounds fall into the 300 to 3,000 Hz range. When a patient has an inner ear hearing loss of at least 30 to 40 dB, recognizing and discriminating between speech sounds becomes difficult or impossible.
Many people with hearing loss struggle to distinguish between consonants because they often fall within higher frequency ranges. This means that just as someone with high-frequency hearing loss might have trouble hearing birds chirping in Conservation Garden Park, they may also have difficulty discerning subtle differences between words like “cat” and “cap” due to the high-pitched sounds of consonants. While these minor changes may not seem like too big a deal at first, they can significantly hamper clear communication, leading to frustration and miscommunication, especially in noisier environments.
What Can I Do?
There are a few ways you can improve your speech discrimination, including:
- Use hearing aids. Hearing aids collect and amplify speech according to your frequency needs, allowing you to understand previously confusing sounds. Some devices even have advanced background noise suppression technology to clarify communication.
- Try auditory training exercises. When you live with untreated hearing loss for too long, your brain can forget how to distinguish between sounds. Auditory training exercises help retrain your brain to hear and understand speech sounds. Exercises may include listening to recorded words, repeating speech sounds, listening to audiobooks and more.
- Use visual cues. While visual cues may not be able to fill in all the gaps, they can be especially helpful in noisy environments. Watch facial expressions and lip movements and pay extra attention to gestures and other context clues to help improve understanding.
Hearing loss doesn’t have to be confusing or frustrating. With hearing aids and a few helpful communication strategies, you can enjoy clear, stress-free conversations. Contact South Valley Ear Nose & Throat – West Jordan today to discuss your hearing treatment options with one of our specialists.