When you experience hearing loss, you start to worry about not being able to enjoy the things you used to love. Hearing the sound of the birds singing outside your window is one thing, but the ability to listen to music is the main issue that worries lots of patients. Even after receiving hearing aids, we get a lot of questions and queries about whether or not it’s still possible to enjoy music.
In short, you most definitely can still enjoy listening to music when you have hearing aids! However, there are a few steps or tips you should follow to get the best listening experience. We’ll run through them all, ensuring you can enjoy music once more.
Program your hearing aids for music
One of the reasons people are concerned about hearing aids and listening to music is that music has such a broad range of volume and frequency. When listening to a song, it is profoundly different from listening to someone talk. You get high pitches, low pitches, higher volumes, and so on. The mistake many hearing aid owners make is they turn the volume up on their devices, hoping this helps them hear the music better.
Instead, this can mean that you run the risk of damaging your ears even further. When the music changes in volume and pitch, you could be putting your ears in danger. Instead, a much better approach is to program your hearing aids for music.
Modern hearing aids have mobile apps that can come with pre-programmed settings to help you listen to music. These settings will configure your listening device to optimize it for the sound of music. The great thing is, modern hearing aids can have numerous profiles and programs that you can switch between on a whim. So, once the musical setting has been programmed, you can turn it on whenever you want to hear some tunes. Then, switch to a program for conversation if you’re talking to others.
As mentioned, hearing aid apps can be very useful in this situation. Don’t worry, you can also talk to your audiologist at your hearing aid fitting to learn how to set up or change programs. They will also be able to configure your hearing aid for music if you want them to.
Make use of Bluetooth features
Does your hearing aid have Bluetooth capabilities? Again, if you have a modern device that was made within the last few years, there’s a high chance it will have Bluetooth connectivity built into it. Here, you can make use of Bluetooth features to listen to music with more clarity.
Effectively, you can pair your hearing aid with another Bluetooth device, streaming the sound straight into your ears. This means you can listen to music on your radio, mobile phone, TV – or any other device – without needing to program your hearing aids. In essence, they work as headphones, but with the benefit of not needing to take your hearing aids out or adjust any settings.
Use a hearing loop
A hearing loop is a system that’s designed to help people with hearing loss. They exist throughout the world in lots of different public settings – including many theaters or concert venues. Simply put, this system creates a wireless signal that your hearing aid can pick up if it has a telecoil.
Telecoils – or t-coils – are little copper wires coiled inside your hearing aid. They are designed to receive electromagnetic signals from different sources within the area you’re in. You can turn them on with ease, and they work with a hearing loop system. When you have activated your telecoil inside a hearing loop, the sounds you hear are broadcast directly to your hearing aid.
Let’s say you have gone to a concert and want to listen to live music. If the concert hall has a hearing loop system, you can activate your telecoil and receive the music straight to your earpiece. It helps you hear with more clarity and less distortion, and you can also alter the volume so it’s less damaging to your ears!
Contact us to learn more
Overall, someone with a hearing aid can still enjoy music. Whether you’re listening to live music or music through a device, there are ways to ensure you hear it clearly. In fact, you will probably find that your listening experience is a lot better than it’s been for a while!
If you’d like to learn more about hearing aids and hearing loss, contact an audiologist today by calling GL Wyeno Hearing Specialists PC on (402) 463-2431.
