How The Pandemic Uncovers Hearing Loss

Mature man getting his hearing checked during the pandemic.

Generally, you don’t mind wearing a mask (or sometimes even two) when you leave your house. The only trouble is, sometimes it’s difficult to hear what other people are saying. When you go to the supermarket or doctor’s appointment, the voices of cashiers and receptionists are muffled, even distorted. Sometimes, it’s so bad you can scarcely understand a single word. They’re also wearing masks, of course. However, the mask might not be the exclusive source of your difficulty. The real issue could lie with your hearing. Or, to say it another way: those muffled voices you hear during the pandemic could be uncovering your hearing loss.

Masks Muffle The Human Voice

Most quality masks are made to stop the spread of airborne particles or water droplets. Most evidence indicates airborne water droplets as a contributing factor in the case of COVID-19 so that’s very useful (all these results, however, are still preliminary and studies are still being carried out). This means that masks have shown to be quite effective at curtailing and preventing the spread of COVID-19.

But masks clearly can block the movement of sound waves. The human voice will be a bit muffled by a mask. It’s not really a big problem for most people. But if hearing loss is an issue for you and muffled voices suddenly surround you, it could be hard for you to comprehend anything being said.

Your Brain Compensates For Hearing Impairment

The impediment of sound waves probably isn’t the sole reason you’re having trouble understanding someone wearing a mask. It’s more involved than that. The thing is, the brain is, to some degree, adept at compensating for variations in sound quality.

Without you recognizing it, your brain makes use of contextual information to help you understand what’s being said, even if you can’t hear it. Your brain will synthesize things like facial expressions, body language, and particularly lip movements to compensate for what it can’t hear.

When somebody is wearing a mask, many of those visual cues are obscured. You can’t see the shape of someone’s lips or the alignment of the mouth. You don’t even know if they are frowning or smiling.

Mental Fatigue

Your brain has a very hard time trying to translate what’s being said without that extra visual information. That means you’re more likely to hear nothing but mumbles. And your brain will get tired even if it is able to piece together what was said.

Under regular conditions, a constantly compensating brain can cause considerable mental fatigue, often resulting in impatience or memory loss. With masks in place, your brain will become even more tired (it’s worthwhile to remember masks are essential protection, so keep them on).

Hearing Solutions

The pandemic is uncovering hearing loss by bringing these issues into focus. It’s not creating the condition in the first place, but it may have otherwise gone undetected because hearing loss typically progresses rather slowly. In the early phases of hearing loss we normally don’t even notice it and frequently start raising the volume on our devices (you may not even recognize this occurring).

This is the reason why coming in to see us on a regular basis is so important. We can detect early hearing loss, often before you even notice it, because of the screenings we perform.

If you are having a difficult time hearing what people are saying when they’re wearing a mask, this is particularly true. We can help you discover strategies to help you navigate a masked world. For example, hearing aids can help you regain a lot of your functional hearing range and can supply other significant benefits. Voices behind the mask will be easier to hear and understand with hearing aids.

Keep Your Mask on

It’s essential to remember to keep your mask on even as the pandemic reveals hearing loss. Masks are frequently mandated or required because they save lives. One of the issues with muffled voices is that people may be tempted to take off their masks, and that’s the last thing we should be doing.

So leave your mask on, schedule an appointment with us, and use your hearing aids. These efforts will inevitably improve your quality of life, and help keep you safe, as well.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.