The Auditory Ally Blog

The number one complaints I get from my clients is that they cannot hear in noise. This is extremely frustrating when they are in group settings, trying to socialize in crowded places, and attending events. One could argue there is a growing market of people who want quiet restaurants. Seriously, why is the music so loud? One could also argue that people without hearing loss are also struggling in these places, and there’s good reason. A quick google search will tell you the average sound level in a restaurant ranges from 70 to 80 dB during peak hours, which is as loud as heavy street traffic or a vacuum cleaner. By comparison, a normal conversation is about 60 dB. Meaning the average noise in a restaurant is louder than an average conversation. In crowded or trendy venues, noise levels can easily reach 85 dB or higher. No wonder it’s so difficult!

So, my first tip is to remember that it might not be you. It could just be too loud. When you have a hearing aid or cochlear implant, it’s so easy to think you are the only one struggling. If you notice people leaning forward in conversations, asking for clarification often, squinting their eyes, or turning their ear towards the speaker you likely aren’t alone in your hearing difficulties.

Some Other Helpful Tips for Listening in Noise Include:

1. Using a personal microphone. Many cochlear implant users receive a personal microphone, sometimes called a Mini-mic, Roger device, or Audio Link depending on the brand of cochlear implant you have. You can ask your audiologist about using this device or if you have one. The personal microphone is great because the speaker can wear the microphone and what they are saying will transmit straight to your hearing aid or cochlear implant, which means it doesn’t get affected by the surrounding noise in the environment.
   • Other places a mini-mic could be helpful include:
     • Talking to someone in the car where you can’t see their lips to lipread as easily
     • Walking alongside someone at the beach or at the mall
     • Sitting at church or other speaking events
     • Listening to a friend of family member across a distance
2. Modify your Environment: You can usually cut out some noise by changing your environment or how you are interacting in your environement. Modifications include:
   • Face the noise: Sit with your back to the primary source of background noise (like a bustling kitchen or a loud group) and face the person you are speaking with.
   • Use lighting to your advantage: Position yourself facing a light source so you can utilize facial expressions, gestures, and lip-reading to supplement your hearing.
   • Avoid reflective corners: Steer clear of rooms with hard floors, high ceilings, or bare walls. Hard surfaces bounce sound, creating echoes that muddy speech.
3. Use Live Captioning Technology: I have had a handful of clients who use live captioning on their phone with a phone stand to capture conversation. This allows the listener to read along with what the speaker is saying when they are not sure what has been said. My clients have found that this does especially well in one-on-one conversations, but not so well in group conversations where people may be interrupting or speaking over one another. This tool can be especially useful in conversations you want to remember later, such as at a doctors appointment, as the transcript can usually be saved to go back to at a later time.
   • Live Captioning is now built in to both Android and iPhones.
     • iPhone users can find it in: Settings > Accessibility > Hearing > Live Captions.
     • Android users can find it in: Settings > Accessibility > Live Caption.

A big one that many people do not think about for listening performance in noise: Rehabilitate Auditory Attention and Sustained Attention.

How do we do this? Practice listening attention and sustained attention exercises. You can find many of those exercises in my intermediate level program here. Many of my clients report listening fatigue or general fatigue after being in loud spaces. A majority of that is normal – your brain is having to use a LARGE amount of focus to filter through all that noise and extract what is meaningful. For some of my clients though, they have had hearing loss for so long that they need to practice listening for extended periods of time with and without noise present. Many of my clients got so used to not being able to hear prior to their cochlear implant that they simply tuned out of conversations that were too difficult or stopped going to social events all together. Listening is a skill and different than hearing. Many of my clients work on the skill of listening again in sessions with me. If this sounds like you, a rehabilitative approach could help you.

Find my handout for listening in noise tips here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Tips-for-Listening-in-Noise-with-a-Cochlear-Implant-13191678

Find my auditory training program with extended listening practice here: https://www.auditoryally.com/products/courses/mastering-listening-skills-course