In the past they were called “books-on-tape”. Back then, obviously, we didn’t even have CDs let alone streaming services. Nowadays, people call them audiobooks (which, we won’t lie, is a far better name).
An audiobook gives you the ability to read a book by, well, listening to it. It’s a bit like when you were younger and a teacher or parent read to you. You can connect with new concepts, get swept away in a story, or discover something new. Listening to audiobooks when you’re passing time will be a mind enriching experience.
Turns out, they’re also a fantastic way to achieve some auditory training.
Auditory training – what is it?
Hold on, what’s this auditory training thing, you ask? It sounds tedious like homework.
As a specialized kind of listening, auditory training is created to give you a stronger ability to perceive, process, and understand sounds (known medically as “auditory information”). One of the primary uses of auditory training is to help individuals learn to hear with their new hearing aids.
Because neglected hearing loss can cause your hearing to become used to a quieter environment and your brain can grow out of practice. So your brain will need to cope with a significant influx of new auditory signals when you get new hearing aids. Practically, this often means that your brain can’t process those sounds as well as it normally does (at least, not initially). Auditory training can be a practical tool to help deal with this. (As a side note, auditory training is also useful for those who have language learning difficulties or auditory processing conditions).
Another perspective: Audio books won’t really 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 designed to do. Humans have a pretty complicated relationship with noise if you really think about it. Every single sound you hear has some significance. Your brain needs to do a lot of work. The concept is that audiobooks are an ideal way to help your brain get accustomed to that process again, especially if you’re breaking in a brand-new set of hearing aids.
Audiobooks can assist with your auditory training in a number of different ways, including the following:
- Improvements in pronunciation: Sometimes, it isn’t just the hearing part that can need some practice. Hearing loss can often bring about social solitude which can cause communication skills to atrophy. Audiobooks can help you get a grip on the pronunciation of words, making basic communication a lot smoother!
- Listening comprehension: Hearing speech is one thing, understanding it is another thing completely. Audiobooks give you practice digesting and understanding what is being spoken about. Your brain requires practice helping concepts take root in your mind by practicing linking those concepts to words. This can help you follow conversations more closely in your day-to-day life.
- Improvements of focus: With some 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 pair of hearing aids, it might have been a while since you last took part in and listened to a full conversation. You might require some practice tuning in and staying focused, and audiobooks can help you with that.
- A bigger vocabulary: Most individuals would love to expand their vocabulary. The more words you’re exposed to, the larger your vocabulary will become. Surprise your friends by using amazingly apt words. Perhaps those french fries look dubious, or you’re worried that bringing your friends to the bar will really exacerbate your problems with your boyfriend. Either way, audiobooks can help you pick the right word for the right situation.
- Perception of speech: When you listen to an audiobook, you get real-time practice understanding somebody else’s speech. During typical 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. It’s the perfect way to practice understanding words!
Audiobooks as auditory aids
Reading along with a physical copy of your audiobook is absolutely recommended. This will help make those linguistic associations stronger in your brain, and your brain could adapt faster to the new auditory signals. It’s definitely a beneficial way to enhance your auditory training experience. That’s because audiobooks complement hearing aids.
It’s also really easy to get thousands of audiobooks. You can subscribe to them on an app called Audible. A wide variety of online vendors sell them, including Amazon. Anyplace you find yourself, you can cue one up on your phone.
And you can also get podcasts on just about every topic in case you can’t find an audiobook you want to listen to. Your mind and your hearing can be enhanced simultaneously.
Can I listen to audiobooks through my hearing aids
Bluetooth capability is a feature that comes with many contemporary hearing aids. So all of your Bluetooth-equipped devices, including your phone, your television, and your speakers, can be connected with your hearing aids. With this, when you listen to an audiobook, you won’t need uncomfortable headphones over your hearing aids. Instead, you can listen directly through your hearing aids.
You’ll now get superior sound quality and increased convenience.
Ask us about how audiobooks can help with your auditory training
So if you believe your hearing might be on the way out, or you’re worried about getting accustomed to your hearing aids, talk to us about audiobooks.