Hearing loss, is it a volume problem?

Anyone who is not familiar with hearing loss assumes that it is like turning the volume on a radio lower and lower until,you have difficulty understanding the words, or cannot hear at all.
Hearing loss is far more subtle than that.
A person with hearing loss usually has a different amount of loss at each frequency across a range of hearing. For example, a person may have normal hearing in the lower frequencies,  a moderate hearing loss in the middle frequencies and a severe loss in the high frequencies.
In relation to hearing aids,and in order to understand speech better, the person wants the low frequencies unchanged,the middle frequencies a little louder, and the high frequencies very loud.
Increasing the volume of the radio makes all the frequencies louder. The volume is so loud in the lower frequencies,where the hearing is normal, that it becomes intolerable. Louder does not mean clearer in relation to frequencies unless the frequencies are properly balanced.

Hearing aids stimulate brain activity

On average it takes 10 years for a person with a hearing loss to finally do something about it. The first reaction to a hearing loss is to wait for it to go away. This rarely happens.

Untreated hearing loss affects your quality of life, but it also affects the brain's ability to remember common everyday sounds because the hearing channels are no longer effectively used.

When the hearing nerves lose their function and no longer channel sound signals to the brain, the brain "forgets" the sounds over time and becomes unable to understand them.

Memory weakening

The brain centre for hearing stores sounds and noises for up to three years following the onset of hearing loss. But after about seven years the memory becomes weaker and weaker.

Therefore, it is important to have your hearing tested and hearing aids fitted when you find that you are losing some of your hearing. After fitting of hearing aids the hearing process resumes suppling signals to the brain.

Learning to hear again

If you delay the fitting of a hearing aid for any great length of time there could be serious consequences. Even the most tecnically advanced hearing aid may not be able to transform the incoming signal into understandable information. The brain no longer recognizes ordinary everyday sounds and noises, such as the hum of a refrigator or the noise of a computer. The brain must learn to hear all over again.

Improved quality of life

A study published by the Quality of LIfe Research journal indicated that hearing impaired people estimate their hearing to have improved while wearing a  hearing aid does more than help you to hear. A hearing aid improves your quality of life and improves your brain's function.

Most often hearing loss sneaks up on you. Suddenly one day you notice that you no longer hear the humming of the refrigerator or or the bird's singing.

Five improved 100% when treated with hearing aids. This is in contrast to their belief before being fitted with hearing aids that their hearing was inadequate.

The researchers conducting the study asked 98 people with hearing loss how they perceived their quality of life after the fitting of hearing aids. The results of the study confirm that people with hearing loss report improvements in their quality of life when they receive and adapt to hearing aids.

To find out more information on the human ear click here

What happens when the cochlea is damaged?

Cochlea Damage The majority of hearing losses in the world are due to damage caused to the cochlea,(sensori-neural). In nearly all cases the patient will struggle with speech discrimination ( "I can hear your voice but you sound like you are muttering")


This is made even worse in the presence of background noise. The fitting of hearing aids will be beneficial, but simply amplifying sounds will not overcome the problems found in the cochlea. We will now look at the various problems within the cochlea.


Loudness Recruitment


People with cochlea damage need a greater level of sound to hear well, but when sounds get louder they become just as intolerant of loud sounds as people with no hearing impairment. As seen in audiometry, this leaves the patient with a reduced dynamic range. This causes problems with speech discrimination, as the dynamic range of speech is about 50dB i.e. a 50dB intensity difference between the loudest and quietest parts of speech.Someone with a reduced dynamic range may not be able to accommodate the whole range of speech, which could become a problem when a hearing aid is fitted.


A hearing instrument with the ability to adjust the amounts of amplification will provide a better option for patients with a reduced dynamic range.Recruitment is found only in patients with cochlea (hair cell) damage. The term "abnormal growth of loudness" is commonly used and relates to patients perception of loudness throughout their dynamic range.

A full explanation of cochlea damage can be found here.