Books-on-tape was what we used to call them, way back when. Of course, that was long before CDs, not to mention digital streaming. These days, people refer to them as audiobooks (which, to be honest, is a much 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 a kid and a teacher or parent read to you. You can connect with new concepts, get swept up in a story, or discover something new. Listening to audiobooks when you’re passing time will be a mind enriching experience.
As it turns out, they’re also a great way to achieve some auditory training.
What’s auditory training?
So you’re probably rather curious about exactly what auditory training is. It sounds tedious like homework.
Auditory training is a special form of listening, created to help you increase your ability to process, perceive, and decipher sounds (known medically as “auditory information”). One of the main uses of auditory training is to help people learn to hear with their new hearing aids.
Because untreated hearing loss can cause your hearing to become 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 abruptly has to deal with an influx of additional information. When this occurs, your brain will find it difficult, at first, to process all those new sounds as well as it should. As a result, auditory training often becomes a useful exercise. Also, for people who are dealing with auditory processing disorders or have language learning difficulties, auditory training can be a helpful tool.
Think of it like this: Audio books won’t necessarily make you hear clearer, but they will help you better distinguish what you’re hearing.
When you listen to audiobooks, what happens?
Auditory training was created to help your brain get used to making sense out of sounds again. People have a fairly complicated relationship with noise if you really think about it. Every sound means something. Your brain has to do a lot of work. So if you’re breaking in a new set of hearing aids, listening to audiobooks can help your brain become accustomed to hearing and comprehending again.
Here are a few ways audiobooks can help with auditory training:
- A bigger vocabulary: Most individuals would love to increase their vocabulary. The more words you’re subjected to, the larger your vocabulary will become. Impress your friends by throwing out amazingly apt words. Perhaps that guy standing outside the bar looks innocuous, or your dinner at that restaurant is sumptuous. With audiobooks, you’ll have just the right words ready for any situation.
- Improvements in pronunciation: Sometimes, it isn’t just the hearing part that can need some practice. Those with hearing loss frequently also suffer from social isolation, and that can make their communication skills a bit rusty. Audiobooks can make communication a great deal easier by helping you get a grip on pronunciation.
- Listening comprehension: Perceiving speech is one thing, comprehending it is another thing completely. Audiobooks give you practice digesting and understanding what is being spoken about. Your brain needs practice linking words to concepts, and helping those concepts remain rooted in your mind. This can help you follow conversations more closely in your day-to-day life.
- Perception of speech: Audiobooks will help you get accustomed to hearing and comprehending speech again. But you also have a little bit more control than you would during a normal conversation. You can listen to sentences numerous times in order to distinguish them. This works quite well for practicing making out words.
- Improvements of focus: You’ll be able to pay attention longer, with a little help from your audiobook friends. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve been able to engage in a complete conversation, especially if you’re breaking in a new pair of hearing aids. You might require some practice tuning in and remaining focused, and audiobooks can help you with that.
Audiobooks as auditory aids
WE recommend that, as you listen to your audiobook, you also read along with a physical copy of the book as well. 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 great way to enhance your auditory training experience. That’s because audiobooks complement hearing aids.
It’s also very easy to get thousands of audiobooks. There’s an app called Audible which you can get a subscription to. You can instantly get them from Amazon or other online sellers. Anywhere you find yourself, you can cue one up on your phone.
And you can also get podcasts on nearly every topic in case you can’t find an audiobook you feel like listening to. Your mind and your hearing can be enhanced together.
Can I listen to audiobooks through my hearing aids
Bluetooth capability is a feature that is included with many modern hearing aids. So all of your Bluetooth-enabled devices, including your phone, your television, and your speakers, can be paired with your hearing aids. With this, when you listen to an audiobook, you won’t need uncomfortable headphones over your hearing aids. You can utilize your hearing aids for this instead.
You’ll now get better sound quality and increased convenience.
Consult us about audiobooks
So if you believe your hearing might be starting to go, or you’re uneasy about getting accustomed to your hearing aids, consult us about audiobooks.