Your Guide to Digital Noise Reduction in Hearing Aids

From a crowded restaurant to a busy sidewalk, you can confront overwhelming amounts of noise almost anyplace. People who use hearing aids are particularly sensitive to this problem as it becomes difficult to differentiate between meaningless noise and important sound. 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. However, when conversing in a noisy environment, your digital noise reduction equipped hearing aid can tell that there is unwanted sound present. The hearing aid makes the necessary adjustments on its own using built-in software and reduces the volume associated with the noisy channels.

Don’t expect that all background noise will be eliminated. No hearing aid can do that. However, the digital noise reduction feature does help improve communications quite a lot in noisy areas. The general consensus among hearing aid wearers with this technology is that speech sounds better and background noise is less overpowering.

Digital noise reduction devices are most effective at eliminating background noise that stays at a constant level. Steady, unchanging sounds such as a car engine or an air conditioner are effectively blocked, but more dynamic noises such as loud music or conversation cannot be overcome as effectively.

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. For example, if you find yourself in a noisy part of a restaurant, ask to be seated somewhere that isn’t quite as hectic.

Digital noise reduction technology is not perfect, but it can go a long way in helping to counteract the unwanted noise you encounter in your day to day life.