People with mild to moderate hearing loss oftentimes can hear but can’t understand speech very well. It’s something customers say to us all the time, “I can hear but can’t understand words during conversations.”
Why is that?
The most common type of hearing loss—high-frequency hearing loss—can make some consonant sounds difficult to understand. If you don’t catch consonants in a word, you can miss the meaning of the word, and without that word, you can lose the meaning of the entire sentence.
That’s why many people with hearing loss can hear but have difficulty comprehending. Imagine a sentence in your head—any sentence—and then take out all the consonants. What would that sound like? Not very clear!
Background noise can make understanding speech particularly difficulty. Hearing speech in noisy areas can be hard, even for those who only have mild to moderate hearing loss. A jumble of voices and other noises can make some words impossible to pick out, so even though you may be able to hear, understanding may be impossible.
In addition, if you have high-frequency hearing loss, you may have trouble hearing specific high-pitched sounds, like the voices of women and children. Male voices are generally easier for those with high-frequency hearing loss to understand, so your hearing may depend not only on the situation but also on who you are talking to.
What can I do?
Fortunately, hearing aids can often help those with hearing loss to hear more clearly again, and at Advanced Affordable Hearing, our hearing aids are specifically pre-programmed for high-frequency hearing loss.
Seeing a doctor is not necessary to purchase our hearing aids. However, it is possible for hearing loss to be a sign of other health issues, such as heart disease, so we do recommend getting an exam and an official hearing loss diagnosis for your own health and safety.
If you are unable to see a physician or hearing specialist, you can use our Online Hearing Check to help you gauge how severe your hearing loss is. This does not take the place of an exam and is not an actual diagnosis. An online hearing test is useful, though, in giving you some knowledge of the severity of your hearing loss.
Knowing how severe your hearing loss is, even if it’s an estimation, is important when choosing a hearing aid.
Do I Really Need a Hearing Aid?
Some people with hearing loss find it hard to accept that they are in need of a hearing device.
However, if you have hearing loss, even mild to moderate hearing loss, you could benefit from wearing hearing aids.
Too often, those with hearing loss put off getting hearing aids due to expense or because they don’t want to wear a hearing device. In fact, according to the Center for Hearing and Communication, people with hearing loss wait an average of 7 years before seeking help.
However, hearing aids have been shown to improve quality of life in people with hearing loss, so a hearing aid is not something you want to put off if you can avoid it. The ability to hear clearly can add joy to your everyday life and may lower your risk of depression, anxiety, and even dementia.
Additionally, at Advanced Affordable Hearing, we offer you a 30-day Money-Back Guarantee, so you can try the hearing aids risk-free for up to 30 days to see if they will work for you.
If you’re suffering from hearing loss, there is no good reason not to give hearing aids a try!
If you are interested in ordering hearing aids, we have a variety of models available that will suit an array of lifestyles and needs.
Call us at 1 (800) 804-0434 and we will be happy to discuss your hearing aid options over the phone.