Generally, you don’t mind wearing a mask (or sometimes even two) when you leave your house. The only trouble is, sometimes it’s hard to hear what other people are saying. Voices are muffled and even distorted when you go to the doctor’s office or store. In some cases, it’s so bad you can hardly grasp a single word. They’re also wearing masks, of course. Our face coverings aren’t really at fault, though. The real problem may be your hearing. Or, to put it another way: those muffled voices you hear during the pandemic might be uncovering your hearing impairment.
Masks Muffle The Human Voice
Most good masks are manufactured to prevent 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 pretty useful (all these results, however, are still in early stages and research is still being conducted). As a result, masks have proven quite effective at curtailing and preventing the spread of COVID-19.
But masks clearly can block the movement of sound waves. Masks can slightly muffle the human voice. It’s not really much of a concern for most individuals. But if you suffer from hearing loss and muffled voices are suddenly all around you, it might be difficult for you to understand anything being said.
Your Brain Compensates For Hearing Loss
But your trouble understanding people wearing masks probably isn’t simply because voices are muffled. It’s more involved than that. The thing is, the brain is, to some degree, skilled at compensating for fluctuations in sound quality.
Without your awareness, your brain utilizes contextual information to help you understand what’s being said, even if you can’t hear it. Facial expressions, body language, even lip movements are all synthesized by your brain naturally to help you compensate for what you’re unable to hear.
When somebody is wearing a mask, many of those visual cues are hidden. The position of somebody’s mouth and the movements of their lips is unseen. You can’t even see if it’s a frown or smile behind the mask.
Mental Fatigue
Your brain has a very hard time trying to interpret what’s being said without that extra visual information. That means you’re more likely to hear nothing but mumbles. Even if your brain can, somehow, make sense of what was said, your brain will get tired.
Under regular circumstances, a continually compensating brain can cause significant mental exhaustion, sometimes resulting in impatience or memory loss. Your brain will become even more tired when everybody is wearing a mask (but keep it on because it’s essential for community protection).
Hearing Solutions
These issues are being brought into focus and hearing loss is being revealed by the pandemic. It’s not causing the condition in the first place, but it might have otherwise gone undetected because hearing loss typically advances rather slowly. In the early stages of hearing loss we usually don’t even notice it and frequently start raising the volume on our devices (maybe you don’t even know you’re doing it).
That’s why it’s worthwhile to visit us on a regular basis. We can diagnose early hearing loss, often before you even notice it, because of the screenings we do.
If you’re having a hard time understanding what people are saying when they’re wearing a mask, this is particularly true. Together we can determine ways to make you more comfortable talking with people wearing a mask. Hearing aids, for example, can offer substantial benefits, allowing you to recover a lot of your functional hearing range. Hearing aids will make it a lot easier to hear, and comprehend the voices behind the masks.
Keep Your Mask on
It’s essential to remember to wear your mask even as the pandemic exposes hearing loss. Masks save lives and are frequently mandated. One of the problems with muffled voices is that individuals might be tempted to remove their masks, and that’s the last thing we should do.
So make an appointment with us, wear your hearing aid, and leave your mask on. Sticking with these suggestions will keep you safe and enhance your quality of life.
