We used to call them books-on-tape, way back when. Of course, that was long before CDs, much less digital streaming. Nowadays, people refer to them as audiobooks (which, we won’t lie, is a far better name).
An audiobook allows you to read a book by, well, listening to it. It’s a bit like when you were younger and a parent or teacher read to you. You can connect with new concepts, get swept up in a story, or learn something new. Listening to audiobooks when you’re passing time will be a mentally enriching experience.
And they’re also an ideal tool for audio training.
What’s auditory training?
So you’re most likely pretty curious about what exactly auditory training is. It sounds tedious like homework.
Auditory training is a specialized type of listening, created to help you improve your ability to process, perceive, and decipher sounds (known medically as “auditory information”). We often talk about auditory training from the perspective of getting accustomed to a set of hearing aids.
That’s because when you have unaddressed hearing loss, your brain can gradually grow out of practice. (Your auditory centers become accustomed to being in a quieter environment.) So your brain will need to deal with a substantial increase of new auditory signals when you get new hearing aids. When this occurs, your brain will find it hard, at first, to process all those new sounds as well as it should. Consequently, auditory training frequently becomes a worthwhile exercise. (As a side note, auditory training is also helpful for people who have language learning challenges or auditory processing conditions).
Another perspective: It’s not really that audiobooks can improve your hearing, it’s that they can help you better understand what you hear.
When you listen to audiobooks, what happens?
Helping your brain distinguish sound again is exactly what auditory training is created to do. People have a fairly complex relationship with noise if you really think about it. Every sound signifies something. Your brain needs to do a lot of work. The concept is that audiobooks are a great way to help your brain get accustomed to that process again, especially if you’re breaking in a brand-new pair of hearing aids.
Here are a few ways audiobooks can help with auditory training:
- 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 throwing out amazingly apt words. Perhaps that guy sitting outside the bar looks innocuous, or your food 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 remain focused and engaged for longer periods of time. After all, if you’re getting used 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 comprehend it! Audiobooks help you practice digesting and understanding what is being talked about. Your brain needs practice joining words to concepts, and helping those concepts remain rooted in your mind. In your everyday life, this will help you understand what people are saying to you.
- Improvements in pronunciation: Sometimes, it’s not only the hearing part that can need a little practice. Individuals that have hearing loss frequently also deal with 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!
- Perception of speech: Audiobooks will help you get used to hearing and comprehending speech again. But you also have a little bit more control than you would during a normal conversation. You can rewind if you can’t understand something and listen to something as many times as you want to. It’s a great way to practice understanding words!
Audiobooks as auditory aids
WE suggest that, as you listen to your audiobook, you read along with a physical copy of the book too. This will help make those linguistic connections 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 adventure. That’s because audiobooks complement hearing aids.
Audiobooks are also good because they are pretty easy to get these days. You can subscribe to them on an app called Audible. Many online vendors sell them, including Amazon. And you can listen to them anywhere 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. You can improve your hearing and enrich your mind simultaneously!
Can I use my hearing aids to listen to audiobooks?
Bluetooth functionality is a feature that is included with many contemporary hearing aids. 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 listen to an audiobook. You can use your hearing aids for this instead.
You’ll now get superior sound quality and greater convenience.
Ask us about how audiobooks can help with your auditory training
So come in and talk to us if you’re concerned about having trouble getting accustomed to your hearing aids or if you believe you might be experiencing hearing loss.
