Hearing loss in noisy environments

Dining out should be an enjoyable social occasion. But the experience can become frustrating if you struggle to hear and understand your tablemates.

Clattering dishes, multiple overlapping conversations, poor acoustics, and loud music can make restaurants and other noisy places challenging for anyone, especially those with hearing loss.

Why noisy environments make hearing loss more noticeable

Background noise can mask the details of speech. You may hear someone talking but struggle to understand the words.

The problem is worse for people with hearing loss, partly due to how we hear and process different sound frequencies. “Higher-pitched sounds provide more clarity to speech, while lower pitched sounds tend to add volume,” says Meaghan Reed, director of clinical audiology at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

Age-related hearing loss first impacts the higher pitches, making it difficult to hear the sounds that make words easier to understand. For example, it can be hard to tell similar-sounding words apart, like “sit” and “fit.” Higher pitched sounds might have to be louder to be understood.

“Background noise often contains lower-pitched sounds that can mask parts of speech, while high-frequency hearing loss makes the consonants that provide clarity harder to hear,” says Dr. Reed.

Hearing aids can help

If you notice problems with your hearing, whether in restaurants or in everyday life, consider getting your hearing checked. You may benefit from hearing aids, which come in many different styles, including over-the-counter devices that don’t require a prescription from a hearing professional.

“Over-the-counter hearing aids are intended for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss,” says Dr. Reed.

All hearing aids amplify sounds. “Ideally, they make sound louder in the range where you’re having difficulty hearing,” says Dr. Reed. “They often have features to help you hear and understand better in noisy environments.”

Tips for hearing in noisy places

Whether or not you use hearing aids, there are strategies to make hearing in loud settings easier.

Environmental strategies. You can make hearing easier in noisy places by choosing where you sit.

• If you don’t wear hearing aids, position yourself so that your back is facing a wall to minimize the sound coming from behind you.
• The opposite is true for those who wear hearing aids. Sit with your back facing the loudest source of noise. “Hearing aids often contain directional microphones, which are designed to reduce the sound coming from behind you and boost amplification of sound coming from in front of you,” says Dr. Reed. Therefore, the sounds that you don’t want to hear should be behind you.
• Try to sit in quieter areas away from audio speakers, doors, and the kitchen.
• Choose a spot with brighter lighting so you can more easily pick up visual cues that might help fill in the words you miss. “Most people have some innate ability to read lips, and that helps you piece together information,” says Dr. Reed.

Communication strategies. Keeping your companions informed about what is helpful in loud settings can ease conversations.

• Face the people you’re talking to and let them know you’re having trouble hearing.
• If you miss part of what someone said, instead of saying “what?” or “huh?” be more specific. When people hear a general request like that, they tend to repeat the exact same sentence, which doesn’t always make it easier to understand the second time. A more effective approach is to tell them what you did hear and what you missed — for example, “I heard we’re going to the movies, but I missed the last part.” This allows them to focus on the missing piece or rephrase it.

Technological strategies. Take advantage of technologies that make it easier to hear in noisy settings.

• Use a remote microphone, which is a wireless microphone that picks up a talker’s voice and sends it directly to a listener’s hearing aids or another receiving device, such as earbuds or headphones. The microphone can be placed on the table at a restaurant, or it can be clipped to a person’s shirt.
• Consider using phone-as-mic software, which uses the built-in microphone on a smartphone and sends the audio directly to earbuds or hearing aids. On the Apple iPhone, turn on the feature called “Live Listen.” On Android phones, a “remote mic” or “hearing” app must often be installed.

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