Why Can’t You Hear People Very Well with Mild Background Noise?

Life is busy and unless we take time to notice things that are going on with us and going on around us, we can miss certain things to do with our health. One of the things that we can often carry on with is our hearing. We can go about our usual business, and not really take too much notice of things, until we realize that we do actually find it hard to understand people or are having trouble hearing, especially if there is some background noise.

High-frequency hearing loss can be used to describe hearing loss that is experienced when there is background noise. You might notice that you find it hard to understand some speech, even if it is mild background noise or a quite quiet environment. If there are lots of people around or more background noise, then it can be even harder to follow a conversation if you are experiencing hearing loss. If this sounds like something that you have experienced, then you might be like many others who will just avoid social situations or large gatherings in public where this kind of thing takes place.

Some of the signs of high-frequency hearing loss include:

• Having trouble following conversations that are happening in quiet places, as well as noisy places. You might be able to hear, but not fully make out what they are saying to then understand.
• You might find it hard to talk on the phone, because you use social cues, lip reading and body language to help you in conversations.
• Finding it hard to understand your favorite shows and movies, even if you have the volume up quite high.
• Some voices might be harder to understand than others, in particular female voices and the voices of young children, as they are usually in a higher pitch.
• Experiencing some music distortion at higher volumes, when you know that isn’t how the song should sound.
• Finding being social and listening hard and exhausting.

Family members, loved ones, friends and colleagues can all find it hard as well, because they know that you aren’t really listening to what they are saying, simply because you can’t hear or understand because of hearing loss. If you think people are mumbling or have been told that you have selected hearing, then it is definitely a sign that you are experiencing hearing loss, and should see an audiologist as soon as you can. Having untreated hearing loss can and does take a toll on relationships, as well as careers and your day to day life, so it is something that needs looking at.

Hearing loss is something that involves the brain, as well as the ears, to help to translate the noises into words. Hearing loss symptoms can vary from person to person, and it can be quite mild for some, to more profound for others. But if you have trouble hearing when there is some competing noise, even mild noise, then it will be hard to understand any of the sounds that you do hear.

Don’t accept difficult hearing

If you have a hearing test and it shows that you have some hearing loss, then hearing aids can go a long way to helping to amplify the high pitches that you will have been missing for a while. You can choose the hearing aids, with the help of an audiologist, that is going to work best for you. It is important that you don’t get used to difficult hearing, as you can have hearing aids that work for you. Once you start to wear them, you will definitely notice an improvement in how much you can hear and understand. There may even be some background noises that you start to hear again, like birdsong and so on.

If you can hear, but you find it hard to understand, even with some mild background noise, then it is important to remember that you are not alone. Audiologists will hear this from patient’s day in and day out, but they are experts and highly skilled in getting down the root of the problem. They will also listen to the anxieties and concerns that you have, and come up with a solution that is going to work for you and your lifestyle. It is important to not give up on your hearing and just settle with how it is. To learn more about The Audiology Offices and how we can help you, then make sure that you give us a call at (804) 567-7005. Get in touch today to see how we can help.