In the past they were known as “books-on-tape”. Naturally, that was long before CDs, not to mention digital streaming. Nowadays, people call them audiobooks (which, to be honest, is a much better name).
With an audiobook, you can listen to the book being read by a narrator. It’s sort of like having somebody read a book out loud to you (okay, it’s exactly that). You can engage with new concepts, get swept away in a story, or discover something new. Audiobooks are a wonderful way to pass the time and enrich your mind.
As it turns out, they’re also a great way to achieve some auditory training.
Auditory training – what is it?
So you’re most likely pretty interested about what exactly auditory training is. It sounds laborious like homework.
Auditory training is a special form of listening, developed to help you increase your ability to process, comprehend, and interpret sounds (medically known as “auditory information”). One of the main uses of auditory training is to help people learn to hear with their new hearing aids.
Because neglected hearing loss can cause your hearing to get used to a quieter environment and your brain can grow out of practice. So when you get a new set of hearing aids, your brain abruptly has to deal with an increase of extra information. When this happens, your brain will find it hard, at first, to process all those new sounds as well as it should. As a result, auditory training often becomes a worthwhile exercise. (As a side note, auditory training is also useful for people who have language learning difficulties or auditory processing conditions).
Another perspective: Audio books won’t necessarily make you hear clearer, but they will help you better distinguish what you’re hearing.
What happens when I listen to audiobooks?
Helping your brain make sense of sound again is precisely what auditory training is created to do. If you think about it, people have a really complex relationship with noise. Every sound you hear has some significance. Your brain needs to do a lot of work. So if you’re breaking in a new pair of hearing aids, listening to audiobooks can help your brain get used to hearing and comprehending again.
Audiobooks can help with your auditory training in various different ways, including the following:
- Improvements in pronunciation: You’ll frequently need practice with more than only the hearing part. Those that have hearing loss frequently also deal with social isolation, and that can make their communication skills a little rusty. Audiobooks can help you get a handle on the pronunciation of words, making general communication much easier!
- Perception of speech: Audiobooks will help you get accustomed to hearing and understanding speech again. But you also have a bit more control than you would during a regular old conversation. You can rewind if you can’t understand something and listen to something over and over again. It’s a great way to practice understanding words!
- Listening comprehension: Hearing speech is one thing, understanding it is another thing entirely. Audiobooks help you practice digesting and understanding what is being talked about. Your brain needs practice helping ideas take root in your mind by practicing joining those concepts to words. This can help you follow conversations more closely in your everyday life.
- Improvements of focus: With a little help from your audiobook, you’ll remain focused and engaged for longer periods of time. Perhaps it’s been some time since you’ve been able to engage in a complete conversation, especially if you’re getting used to a new set of hearing aids. An audiobook can give you some practice in remaining focused and tuned in.
- A bigger vocabulary: Who doesn’t want to improve their vocabulary? The more words you’re subjected to, the bigger your vocabulary will become. Impress your friends by throwing out amazingly apt words. Maybe that guy standing outside the bar looks innocuous, or your dinner at that restaurant is sumptuous. Either way, audiobooks can help you find the right word for the right situation.
Audiobooks as auditory aids
Reading along with a physical version of your audiobook is absolutely advisable. Your brain will adjust faster to new audio inputs making those linguistic connections stronger. In essence, it’s the perfect way to bolster your auditory training. Because hearing aids are enhanced by audiobooks.
Audiobooks are also good because they’re pretty easy to come by right now. You can subscribe to them on an app called Audible. You can easily purchase them from Amazon or other online vendors. And you can hear them at any time on your phone.
And you can also get podcasts on just about every topic in case you can’t find an audiobook you feel like listening to. You can sharpen your hearing and enrich your mind at the same time!
Can I listen to audiobooks with my hearing aids
Bluetooth capability is a feature that comes with many modern hearing aids. This means you can pair your hearing aids with your phone, your speakers, your tv, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device. This means you don’t have to put huge headphones over your hearing aids just to play an audiobook. You can use your hearing aids for this instead.
You’ll now get superior sound quality and increased convenience.
Consult us about audiobooks
So come in and speak with us if you’re concerned about having difficulty getting accustomed to your hearing aids or if you believe you might be experiencing hearing loss.