Better Hearing Blog

It is estimated that one-quarter of today’s teens may have serious hearing damage and not even know it. It, therefore, becomes necessary that we find ways to diagnose hearing loss and treat it. Until recently, one common way of informally detecting hearing loss is to check for “tinnitus” (ringing in the ears), which has been associated with the loss of “hair cells” (sensory cells that convert sound vibrations into electrical signals that are sent to the brain). Researchers have now discovered that hearing loss is not only linked with the death of hair cells (which do not regenerate), but also with cochlear nerve cells that sustain damage to their synapses. This “hidden” hearing loss is known as “cochlear synaptopathy.”

Not being able to hear well isn’t just frustrating, it also can be a safety concern when it interferes with your ability to hear warning signals, such as sirens, alarms or train whistles. To schedule an appointment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. Hearing aids help put people back in touch with their family and friends by letting them enjoy participating in social activities again. New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. A “synapse” is a structure that permits a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron.

The term “absolute pitch,” more commonly referred to as “perfect pitch,” is the rare auditory ability to identify and recreate a musical tone without the help of a reference tone. It is different than “relative pitch,” which is a learned ability common in trained musicians that allows them to infer the pitch of a tone by mental comparison to an external reference tone. Perfect pitch is a phenomenon that is estimated to affect only one in 10,000 people. This ability seems to be a result of both genetic and environmental influences. Aside from being born with perfect pitch, it seems that early exposure to music also may play a role in cultivating the ability to re-create a given musical note.

Hearing loss can affect anyone and has a profound effect on one’s ability to communicate with friends and family. Many modern hearing aids are extremely effective. If fitted by an experienced audiologist, hearing aids can make a real difference. 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. Research suggests that perfect pitch may be associated with an unusually large memory span for speech sounds, further underscoring the importance of hearing ability.

Only 30 percent of hearing-impaired adults aged 70 years and older who could benefit from wearing a hearing instrument have ever worn one. Even fewer adults between ages 20 and 69 years who could benefit have ever worn one. If these individuals and others need more reason to wear a hearing instrument, a recent study provides proof that properly fitted, high-quality hearing instruments work. The study involved 154 adults aged 55 to 79; all had mild-to-moderate hearing loss. All participants received a complete hearing evaluation prior to treatment. While each was fitted with a high-end digital mini hearing instrument in both ears, those fitted by hearing specialists expressed more satisfaction with the results than those fitted with over-the-counter pre-programmed devices.

Hearing aids are suitable for most people, but may be less effective for people with profound hearing impairment or certain conditions. A hearing specialist can advise you about whether a hearing aid is suitable for you. BETTER HEARING CENTER offers an array of affordable hearing aid options to meet every budget, cosmetic, and hearing loss need. We’re excited to assist you in making decisions about your hearing health at New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. Today’s digital hearing instruments can be programmed to specifically target each individual’s particular type of hearing loss in a range of listening environments.

While “sensorineural hearing loss” is caused by inner-ear hair-cell damage or problems with nerve pathways that lead from the inner ear to the brain, “conductive hearing loss” is related to problems conducting sound waves from the outer ear to the middle ear. While sensorineural hearing loss accounts for about 90% of all hearing loss and may generally be treated with a hearing instrument, a conductive loss is largely a medical problem that can be treated with medication or surgery. In some cases, conductive hearing loss can be treated simply by removing impacted ear wax that blocks the transmission of sound waves. With this in mind, it is recommended that everyone forego the use of cotton swabs to “clean” their ears.

Most people begin to lose a small amount of their hearing from around 40 years of age. This loss increases as you get older. By age 80, most people have significant hearing issues. Another common cause of hearing loss is damage to the ear from repeated exposure to loud noises over time. To schedule a hearing assessment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. If left to its own devices, ear wax (cerumen) will migrate out of the ear canal, providing protection against bacteria as it goes.

Hearing loss can compromise cognitive ability because the brain must put added effort into understanding speech. Thus, it makes sense that new research indicates that providing individuals with hearing instruments not only helps them hear better, but it also boosts their brain function. When researchers examined people in their 50s and 60s with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (the most common type of permanent hearing loss), they found that those outfitted with hearing instruments had improved brain function. After wearing hearing instruments for eight hours a day, for six months, study subjects had improved their working memory by 14 percent, increased their selective attention (focusing ability) by 20 percent, and accelerated their brains’ processing speed by 0.2 seconds.

All hearing instruments are basically miniature sound systems. Sound is picked up by a microphone, amplified or made louder, then delivered to the ear by means of a tiny loudspeaker. To schedule an appointment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. Hearing aids help put people back in touch with their family and friends by letting them enjoy participating in social activities again. New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. On average, it takes people 10 years from the time they first exhibit signs of hearing loss until they seek treatment.

Today’s digital hearing instruments use “algorithms” (which are sets of step-by-step instructions that are used to accomplish a task) to analyze and categorize incoming sounds. In effect, these sophisticated algorithms can intercept sounds, code them, and cleanse them before they reach the listener’s ear. With this in mind, a hearing instrument with the “impulse noise reduction” feature can filter out transient loud noises such as plates clattering and glasses clinking at the dinner table. Without impulse noise reduction, these loud sounds may drive hearing instrument users to go so far as to shut off their instruments. Impulse noise reduction softens these sounds so that the instrument wearer can continue to carry on a conversation without distraction.

Hearing aids are available in many styles. Some styles are better suited for mild to moderate hearing loss, while others will work with any degree of hearing loss. Hearing aids also differ in their ease of use, their battery life and how much wind noise they pick up. To schedule an appointment, please call our 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. “Directional microphones” make it easier for hearing-instrument users to hear in noisy environments by reducing background noise from the back and side directions.