Whether preventive or in the case of an already existing hearing loss, hearing training can contribute to the improvement of hearing or prevent age-related hearing loss and slow down its progressive process. The auditory nerve, which is essential for the hearing process, atrophies if it is not stimulated with sufficient auditory stimuli. Thus, the stimulation of auditory training ensures that the auditory nerve remains active and that hearing loss does not become entrenched. Hearing can also be trained when a hearing aid is worn, as this also stimulates the auditory nerve and improves understanding and listening with auditory amplification.
In addition to hearing, the brain also plays a crucial role in the hearing process. Consequently, the latter must be given just as much attention in auditory training. It is practical that corresponding exercises can be carried out daily and with little time. The results are all the more impressive for it, because training the brain and hearing improves both circulation and cognitive flexibility.
However, anyone who suspects a hearing impairment should always make an appointment with a hearing specialist to receive appropriate care and counteract any worsening. Hearing training should be viewed more as an additional measure or prevention, rather than as a stand-alone therapy.
Hearing training exercises
The regular hearing training is easiest if it is integrated as a fixed component of everyday life. After all, the more training, the better the effect. A practical side effect is an increase in the ability to concentrate.
There are various exercises that can be used in between or very specifically to promote hearing and brain.
Read aloud:Read aloud to yourself while listening to your own voice. Notice your own breaths as well as the change in the sound of your voice. This may sound strange at first, and it may feel unfamiliar, but it helps you to perceive different sounds accurately and to distinguish them from one another.
Listen: This exercise is to be carried out with closed eyes, because thereby the attention is sharpened. Try to acoustically detect any sounds in your environment and identify them if possible. The goal is to pay attention to particularly quiet sounds that are not normally heard.
Music: Even the beloved listening to music can be combined with hearing training. To do this, turn on music or radio and move around the room. Focus on how the sounds change as you vary your position. Test the same with different volumes or over a greater distance, for example from another room. What exactly is actually being sung in your favorite song? What instruments are used in the song? You will be surprised how many details can still be discovered even in old familiar songs.
Keep moving: Exercise is good for your body, you surely already knew that. But what many people don't realize is that hearing benefits equally from physical activity. That's because exercise promotes blood flow throughout the body, thus including the inner ear and cochlea, which plays a significant role in the hearing process. You don't have to do strenuous fitness exercises to do this; even light exercise gets your blood circulation going and brings the desired benefits. Find something you enjoy doing, because that way, in the best case scenario, you'll be moving every day and doing something good for your body and your mind.
Yoga: As a particularly beneficial sport, yoga combines the training of body, mind and spirit. Apart from the movement aspect, certain poses are also said to have an additional, positive influence on hearing. During the tension-relieving exercises, the body can free itself from anxiety and stress, which improves blood circulation and nerve function. Tinnitus can also be effectively treated with the stress-reducing practice.
Meditation: May it be a little quieter? Then meditation is the remedy for numerous purposes! In addition to impressive health advantages, like regulating blood pressure and stress, concentrated relaxation likewise boosts your hearing. Meditation is a training of the highest attention, which on the one hand influences the blood flow to the brain, which in turn plays a large part in hearing, and on the other hand, hearing can be explicitly trained. To do this, repeatedly direct your attention from your body to the sounds surrounding you. Notice them very specifically, every little detail, similar to the eavesdropping exercise. The state of highest concentration, which you reach in a meditation, helps you to do this.
Breathing exercises: Whether in yoga or during meditation, conscious breathing and targeted breathing exercises help to enrich the blood with oxygen. Consequently, this is also a way to improve blood flow to the ear and thus improve hearing.
Voice Focus: When was the last time you had something read to you? It's probably about time again, because here you can easily combine everyday life and auditory training. Close your eyes while the person reading to you moves freely around the room, reading to you from your favorite book, the newspaper, or the MySecondEar blog. From which direction does the voice come? How does the voice perception change? A fun yet effective way to practice directional listening.
Riddles and games: Most know it from the table of parents or grandparents - the old familiar crossword puzzle. In fact, puzzles effectively stimulate the brain, whether word grids or logic puzzles, and so can also benefit the listening process. Success is achieved when puzzles are played at least once a week, but preferably every day. If you prefer to play card games, you can do that just as well. The main thing is that it is fun and can be integrated regularly into everyday life. A positive side effect of games is the social contact, while together the mind is sharpened. Hearing loss can lead to withdrawal and loneliness of those affected, game evenings or puzzle competitions actively counteract this.
Prevent hearing problems
Hearing training is one option for preventing hearing loss or counteracting the worsening of an existing hearing loss. However, this alone is not au enough: it is important to protect your hearing from harmful influences as best as possible. The following guidelines will help you protect your hearing:
- Avoid listening to loud music, as it can irreparably destroy your hair cells. Go for moderate volume and also best to reduce the duration of sound.
- Who works in noisy workplaces, better reach for a suitable hearing protection, so that no damage manifests itself.
- Hearing performance should be checked regularly in order to respond to changes promptly.