So, how do hearing aids work? If you’re a regular here, you most likely already know that a hearing aid is a small electronic device that sits inside or behind the ear. Hearing aids are worn by people with hearing loss to help them hear more clearly. Some people also wear hearing aids to help with the symptoms of tinnitus.
What are hearing aids?
Simply speaking, hearing aids are tiny computers. Your Audiologist will program this mini computer to your exact needs. The hearing aids will then increase the volume of sounds as well as automatically detecting the environment that you are in. Hearing aids will make adjustments to reduce the background noise, ensuring you can focus on speech. They will also keep loud sounds to a comfortable level through your aids. Basically… a super intelligent teeny computer in your ear!! Wearing a hearing aid will not reverse any hearing loss, however, studies have shown that they can definitely slow the progression of a hearing loss.
The first aids
The first hearing aids, that can be compared to those we use today, were analogue. They made all sounds louder which could be confusing for the wearer, the sounds were often just louder and not any clearer too. Analogue hearing aids are thankfully a thing of the past now and we instead use digital hearing aids.
Digital hearing aids
Digital hearing aids are the tiny computers we discussed above and give the wearer a natural 360 degrees sound. They cut through the noise and highlight what you need to hear and can even connect to your smart devices. This means that you can stream your phone calls, TV shows and even cinema showings directly through your hearing aids making life that little bit easier.
These kind of devices have been being used for around 15 years now so they are very well developed and have made a huge impact on so many people’s lives. The thing that sets digital hearing aids above any other are that they can be programmed to suit individual needs. One of the most recent additions to these devices is their ability to work via rechargeable batteries. This removes the need to purchase hearing aid batteries and change them every few days. Rechargeable hearing aids can just be popped into a charger at night and they will be fully charged to last you the entire day when you wake up.
We know that the thought of having hearing aids fitted can be daunting but we are here to help and alleviate any fears you may have. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch for an informal chat if you think you need a little help or advice.
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