Consumer Guide to Digital Noise Reduction in Hearing Aids

From a crowded restaurant to a busy sidewalk, you can encounter overpowering amounts of noise almost anywhere. The problem becomes worse for people with hearing aids, which can make it nearly impossible to pick out wanted sounds from the surrounding noise. Digital noise reduction technology embedded inside hearing aids is one approach to combating this problem. It allows the wearer to block unwanted noise and focus on specific sounds.

Digital noise reduction technology relies on the fact that noise and speech have different sound patterns. This is easy to do when speaking to someone in a quiet room as the speech signals are the only sound around. Walk into a crowded and noisy room and the hearing aid equipped with digital noise reduction immediately knows that unwanted noise is present. Once your device picks up on sounds that may interfere with your ability to follow a conversation, it automatically lowers the volume in the noisy channels.

There is no hearing aid that can completely block out noise interference, but this function can still go a long way when it comes to lessening the frustration that comes from communicating in noisy areas. The general consensus among hearing aid wearers with this technology is that speech sounds better and background noise is less overpowering.

Users are most pleased with their results when the device is used to counteract a constant background noise. While digital noise reduction may not be completely effective in reducing the impact of loud music or nearby conversation, it can greatly reduce steady sounds such as an air conditioner or a motor.

To make the most out of the digital noise reduction feature in your hearing aid, you might want to consider taking some common sense steps to reduce the noise around you. If dining in a crowded restaurant, for example, consider asking to be seated in a quieter part of the room or request that the music playing overhead be turned down.

While no hearing aid technology can give you perfect hearing, digital noise reduction can take much of the annoyance out of dealing with noisy situations.