In the past they were called “books-on-tape”. Back then, obviously, we didn’t even have CDs let alone streaming services. These days, people call them audiobooks (which, we won’t lie, is a far better name).
With an audiobook, you can listen to the book being read by a narrator. It’s a bit like when you were younger and a teacher or parent read to you. You’ll be able to learn new things, get lost in an enchanting story, and experience ideas you were never aware of. Listening to audiobooks while passing time will be a mind enriching experience.
Turns out, they’re also a great way to achieve some auditory training.
Auditory training – what is it?
So you’re probably pretty interested about exactly what auditory training is. It sounds complicated and a lot like school.
As a specialized kind of listening, auditory training is designed to give you a better ability to perceive, process, and understand 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 pair of hearing aids, your brain suddenly has to deal with an increase of extra information. In practice, this often means that your brain can’t process those sounds as well as it normally does (at least, not at first). As a result, auditory training frequently becomes a helpful exercise. (As a side note, auditory training is also helpful for people with language learning challenges or auditory processing disorders).
Another perspective: Audio books won’t necessarily make you hear clearer, but they will help you better understand what you’re hearing.
When you listen to audiobooks, what happens?
Auditory training was designed to help your brain get accustomed to distinguishing sounds again. If you think about it, humans have a really complex relationship with noise. Every sound means something. It’s a lot for your brain to manage. The idea is that audiobooks are an excellent way to help your brain get accustomed to that process again, particularly if you’re breaking in a brand-new set of hearing aids.
Here are a number of ways audiobooks can help with auditory training:
- Perception of speech: When you listen to an audiobook, you gain real-time practice comprehending somebody else’s speech. During normal conversations, however, you will have much less control than you get with an audiobook. You can rewind if you can’t understand something and listen to something as many times as you want to. This works quite well for practicing following words.
- Improvements in pronunciation: You’ll often need practice with more than only the hearing part. Individuals that have hearing loss frequently also suffer from social isolation, and that can make their communication skills a bit rusty. Audiobooks can help you get a handle on the pronunciation of words, making basic communication much easier!
- A bigger vocabulary: Who doesn’t want to increase their vocabulary? Your vocabulary will get bigger as you’re exposed to more words. Let your stunning new words impress all of your friends. 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.
- Improvements of focus: With a little help from your audiobook, you’ll stay focused and engaged for longer periods of time. After all, if you’re getting accustomed to a new set of hearing aids, it might have been a while since you last took part in and listened to a full conversation. An audiobook can give you some practice in staying focused and tuned in.
- Listening comprehension: It’s one thing to perceive speech, it’s another to understand it! When you follow the story that the narrator is reading, you will get practice distinguishing speech. Your brain requires practice helping concepts take root in your mind by practicing joining those concepts to words. In your everyday life, this will help you distinguish what people are saying to you.
Using audiobooks as aids to auditory training
WE suggest that, as you enjoy your audiobook, you read along with a physical copy of the book also. This will help make those linguistic associations stronger in your brain, and your brain may adapt more quickly to the new auditory signals. In essence, it’s a great way to bolster your auditory training. Because hearing aids are complemented by audiobooks.
It’s also really easy to get thousands of audiobooks. There’s an app called Audible which you can get a subscription to. You can easily purchase them from Amazon or other online vendors. And you can hear them at any time on your phone.
Plus, if you can’t find an audiobook you particularly like, you could always listen to a podcast to get the same experience (and there are podcasts on practically every topic). Your mind and your hearing can be enhanced together.
Can I listen to audiobooks through my hearing aids
Lots of modern hearing aids are Bluetooth equipped. So all of your Bluetooth-enabled devices, including your phone, your television, and your speakers, can be paired with your hearing aids. This means you don’t need to put cumbersome headphones over your hearing aids just to play an audiobook. Instead, you can listen directly through your hearing aids.
This creates an easier process and a better quality sound.
Consult us about audiobooks
So if you believe your hearing might be starting to go, or you’re worried about getting used to your hearing aids, consult us about audiobooks.