Sometimes we may raise our voices only slightly to get the attention of a person with hearing loss, only to have that person respond, “You don’t have to yell. I’m not deaf!” This type of encounter provides anecdotal evidence of a phenomenon known as “recruitment,” which is an abnormally large increase in the perception of loudness with only a slight increase in the actual intensity of the sound. This phenomenon occurs when normal hair cells adjacent to damaged hair cells (corresponding to the frequency of a hearing loss) are “recruited.” At the decibel level at which these normal hair cells kick in, perceived loudness shoots up rapidly, causing discomfort. The best treatment for this problem is a hearing instrument.
Although hearing instruments do not restore your hearing to normal, they improve it significantly. They improve a person’s social, psychological and physical sense of well-being. To schedule a hearing assessment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We are the only hearing center that has served the Concord, New Hampshire, area for more than 55 years. New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. “Hair cells” are found in the cochlea, where they help convert sound waves into neural signals that are sent to the brain.
