We used to call them books-on-tape, way back when. Naturally, that was well before CDs, not to mention digital streaming. Nowadays, people refer to them as 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 sort of like having someone read a book aloud to you (okay, it’s exactly that). You can engage with new concepts, get swept up 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 fantastic way to achieve some auditory training.
What’s auditory training?
Hold on, what’s this auditory training thing, you ask? It sounds complicated and an awful lot like school.
Auditory training is a special type of listening, created to help you improve your ability to process, comprehend, and decipher sounds (known medically as “auditory information”). One of the principal uses of auditory training is to help people learn to hear with their new hearing aids.
That’s because when you have unaddressed hearing loss, your brain can slowly grow out of practice. (Your auditory centers become accustomed to being in a quieter environment.) So when you get a new set of hearing aids, your brain suddenly has to deal with an increase of extra information. Practically, this often means that your brain can’t process those sounds as well as it normally does (at least, not initially). Consequently, auditory training often becomes a worthwhile exercise. Also, for individuals who are dealing with auditory processing conditions or have language learning difficulties, auditory training can be a useful tool.
Think of it like this: Audio books won’t necessarily make you hear clearer, but they will help you better understand what you’re hearing.
What happens when I listen to audiobooks?
Auditory training was created to help your brain get accustomed to making sense out of sounds again. Humans have a pretty complex relationship with noise if you really think about it. Every single sound you hear has some meaning. Your brain has 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 become accustomed to hearing and understanding again.
Audiobooks can help with your auditory training in a number of different ways, including the following:
- Improvements of focus: With a little help from your audiobook, you’ll remain focused and engaged for longer periods of time. After all, if you’re getting accustomed to a new pair of hearing aids, it may have been a while since you last engaged in and listened to an entire conversation. An audiobook can give you some practice in staying focused and tuned in.
- A bigger vocabulary: Most individuals would love to broaden their vocabulary. The more words you’re exposed to, the larger your vocabulary will become. Surprise your friends by using amazingly apt words. Perhaps that guy standing outside the bar looks innocuous, or your food at that restaurant is sumptuous. With audiobooks, you’ll have just the right words ready for any situation.
- Listening comprehension: Perceiving speech is one thing, comprehending it is another thing completely. When you follow along with the story that the narrator is reading, you will get practice distinguishing speech. Your brain needs practice helping ideas take root in your mind by practicing linking those concepts to words. This can help you follow conversations more closely in your daily life.
- Perception of speech: Audiobooks will help you get accustomed to hearing and understanding speech again. During typical conversations, however, you will have far less control than you will with an audiobook. You can listen to sentences as many times as you need to in order to distinguish them. It’s an excellent way to practice understanding words!
- Improvements in pronunciation: Sometimes, it’s not only the hearing part that can need some practice. Individuals with hearing loss often also deal with social isolation, and that can leave their communication skills a bit out of practice. Audiobooks can help you get a grip on the pronunciation of words, making basic communication much easier!
Audiobooks as auditory aids
Reading along with a physical version of your audiobook is highly advisable. This will help make those linguistic associations stronger in your brain, and your brain may adapt more quickly to the new auditory inputs. It’s definitely a beneficial way to enhance your auditory training experience. That’s because audiobooks enhance 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 vendors. And you can listen to them at any time on your phone.
Plus, if you can’t find an audiobook you really like, you could always try listening to a podcast to get the same effect (and there are podcasts on pretty much every topic). You can improve your hearing and enrich your mind at the same time!
Can I listen to audiobooks through my hearing aids
Many modern hearing aids are Bluetooth enabled. So all of your Bluetooth-enabled devices, including your phone, your tv, and your speakers, can be connected with your hearing aids. This means you don’t need to put huge headphones over your hearing aids just to listen to an audiobook. Rather, 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 starting to go, or you’re uneasy about getting accustomed to your hearing aids, consult us about audiobooks.
