Do hearing aids help even with background noise?

Question

I am 20 years old and have a mild-moderate hearing loss in the mid-range. I have never had hearing aids but I have been thinking about it because I have a hard time hearing with background noises. Do hearing aids help when there is background noise? Or does it make the background noise louder also?

Answer 1

Hearing aids simply amplify the sound coming at your ear. However modern devices can be tuned so that they enhance only certain frequencies (such as the vocal range) and filter out extraneous sounds that are lower or higher in frequency.

The issue at hand is the "signal-to-noise" ratio. This is the ratio of wanted sounds vs. unwanted sound (or noise). The smaller this ratio (or the louder the level of noise is vs. what you are trying to hear) the harder it will  be to understand.

The reason we have two ears is that the brain can filter out background sounds and focus on a signal. This is sometimes called the "cocktail party effect" because it describes the phenomenon where one can focus in on a single conversation at a party when there are several other people talking. If we only had one ear, this would not be possible.

There are new hearing devices that have dual microphones, or that can send signal to the opposite ear, which help the user hear in noisy environments.

I am no expert, so you should consult an audiologist who could explain what options there are.

Answer 2

There are certain kinds of hearing aids that can mask background noises by creating what they call white noice.  This is a sound that is pleasant verus the unpleasant sound you presently hear.  

Talk to an audiologist in your area.  They can let you try them in the office to see if you think they will help or not. They are not cheap!

Answer 3

Mine helps me<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Answer 4

i really don't know. but i hear it does but i don't really know