How Conscious Listening Can Help Improve Hearing Ability
Most people probably only remember keeping a diary from their childhood. Yet recording one’s thoughts can be helpful in many areas of life. The same applies to listening—whether to everyday sounds or music—it makes sense to record what you hear in a listening journal. There, you can categorize and evaluate what you hear based on your own personal impressions. The following article explains how you can benefit from keeping a hearing diary, whether or not you have a hearing impairment.
What is a listening journal, and when is it used?
A listening journal serves as a record of what you hear and is used for documentation. It can be customized and used according to your individual needs, which can vary greatly from person to person. To help you better understand, here are a few examples:
Listening Training with a Hearing Diary
Whether young or old: As we develop, we learn to tune out certain sounds to protect our hearing. However, for some people, frequently tuning out sounds can lead to a situation where we no longer notice important things unless we’re actively listening.This can include, for example, conversations with friends or coworkers. A listening diary is a great tool for training this active listening skill.
Documentation for People with Hearing Loss
A hearing diary is especially important for people with hearing loss when, for example, they’re getting used to a new hearing aid for the first time. The hearing diary allows you to describe various everyday situations, enabling the hearing care professional to adjust the hearing aid accordingly. The hearing care professional may also recommend trying a different hearing aid that might better suit your individual needs and requirements. A hearing diary is also useful for other hearing issues, such as tinnitus, as it allows you to document and then analyze the triggers for the noises in your ear.
Improving Your Hearing
Good hearing is important in many professions. If you want to train your hearing, a hearing diary can also help. For a musician, a hearing diary can help distinguish different timbres, pitches, and depths, as well as elements and instruments in a piece of music or song, more accurately and quickly.
As you can see, the reasons vary widely, and accordingly, the way a hearing diary is structured and how often it’s used will differ from person to person. Regardless, the following aspects are recommended for any type of hearing diary:
- Date and time
- The listening situation or the specific sound
- Evaluation: Specific details can be noted here—not just “good” or “bad,” but also descriptive adjectives such as raspy, drawn-out, muffled, or similar.
Does keeping a listening journal improve hearing?
If exercises are performed regularly—for example, five minutes a day—that train conscious listening, hearing can certainly benefit from them. A positive side effect of focused listening is that it simultaneously trains one’s own mindfulness. Being aware of your surroundings in the here and now brings the present moment into focus. This not only teaches us to truly listen to others, but also improves our concentration and resilience to stress. This often leads to a better quality of life and greater inner well-being.
Does it make sense to keep a hearing diary when using a hearing aid?
As described above, it definitely makes sense to keep a hearing diary while using a hearing aid, especially in the early stages as you get used to the device. At first, some sounds and noises may still seem uncomfortably loud and harsh, but the brain needs time to get used to the new auditory stimuli. This doesn’t happen overnight. In addition to the reasons already mentioned, it’s also extremely helpful in the beginning to test many different hearing aids. This allows the wearer to gather insights and experiences with each device, discuss possible improvements, and ultimately find the optimal hearing aid tailored to their individual needs. If you feel that your hearing is deteriorating, have a hearing test done by a hearing care professional or an ENT specialist. You can use our search service to find a suitable hearing care professional or ENT specialist near you.
