3 High-Tech Features of Modern Hearing Aids

The advances in hearing aid technology often need to be experienced to be believed. Many an audiologist can attest to how life-changing their effects can be for the patients who use them, and that’s all thanks to the technology that has made them more effective, more convenient, and more feature-packed than ever before.

When you choose your hearing aids, it’s important to make sure that it provides all of the features that can help you meet the needs of your daily life. Your audiologist will help guide you towards picking those that suit you best, helping you understand the wide variety of options at your disposal if you like. However, here, we’re going to look at three of the most impressive of the high-tech features of modern hearing aids worth considering.

Wireless Connectivity

We’re living in a world that is increasingly run through wireless technology. From smartphones to tablets, smart TVs, and smart homes, it seems like everything is getting either WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity to allow devices to better work with one another. This is true of many modern hearing aids, as well.

Wireless connectivity, usually Bluetooth connectivity, can help you connect your hearing aids to a wide range of Bluetooth-enabled devices. The most common form of this is connecting the device to a smartphone, which allows the hearing aid to play the audio directly from your smartphone. It can also do this with smart TVs and other Bluetooth technologies. So, you can use your hearing aid to better make phone calls or hear the audio from whatever show, movie, or game you might have on your TV.

However, many hearing aids are also coming with apps, developed by the manufacturers of the device. These can allow you to set the volume of your hearing aid and manage its amplification profiles to fit different needs, such as making sure that you are amplifying sounds differently depending on which environment you’re in. These apps can be very useful for those who feel more comfortable using remote controls, including those who might have some issues with their dexterity.

Self-Learning Hearing Aids

There are many hearing aids that are starting to use various kinds of self-learning features. For instance, there are hearing aids with multiple directional microphones that will adjust their amplification automatically based on where sound is coming from. This can help you hear better from more directions, while also allowing you to do things like filtering out background noises from certain directions while better amplifying someone who is speaking directly to you.

There are other devices that will adjust their amplification profiles based on the levels of noise from the environment. This can, as a result, reduce the volume in a noisy environment so that it doesn’t become overwhelming while increasing the volume in quieter environments so that you can better hear noises that you might miss otherwise.

The self-learning potential of hearing aids is great and is only likely to improve as manufacturers continue to improve the AI technology that they’re working with. The more data that your hearing aid captures about how you use it, the better that they will be able to automatically adjust to your needs, reducing the need for your direct intervention.

Tinnitus-Masking Features

Tinnitus is a symptom that a lot of people with hearing loss also experience. It is perhaps best described as the experience of hearing noises that are not audible to anyone else or have no discernable external source. For many people, it presents as a ringing while, to others, it might sound like a pulse or something else. It can be a persistent complication for people, leading to things like loss of sleep, difficulty concentrating, and an increased chance of developing anxiety and depression.

Tinnitus masking devices are commonly prescribed to help treat tinnitus. They work by effectively producing a sound that “counters” the tinnitus, making it easier to ignore as a result. Many modern hearing aids come with these tinnitus masking features built into them. They are some of the most effective treatments against this complication.

Choosing the Right Hearing Aid for You

The needs that a person with hearing loss has when it comes to their hearing aids can vary from person to person. As such, it’s a good idea to talk about your needs with your audiologist to find that pair that best suits you. Get started with Imagine Hearing Solutions by getting in touch with us at (530) 392-4533.