Stress-Free Commuting

It’s not always possible to live and work in the same area. Whether you work in the city and want to fire up the grill on your terrace surrounded by greenery on the weekends, or commute to be with your family—you’re not alone. Nearly 30 percent of Germans spend at least 30 minutes commuting to work—one way. Traffic noise or the background noise at a train station puts a strain on our hearing. Scientists refer to this as “hearing stress,” which can lead to exhaustion and insomnia.

How Hearing Aids Make the Commute Easier

If you wear hearing aids, your modern devices offer several features that help prevent this kind of auditory stress. These small, high-tech devices automatically detect the direction of speech and suppress distracting ambient noise. Even reverberation in large spaces, such as train station concourses, is no problem for modern hearing systems. Another way to reduce stress on your hearing is the noise-canceling feature, which is already available on many hearing aids and headphones. Small microphones on the outside pick up ambient noise and use gentle counter-sound to block it out. This allows you to enjoy music and audiobooks even at low volumes, thereby protecting your hearing.

But even if you don’t wear hearing aids, there are steps you can take to make your commute as relaxing as possible while protecting your ears.

Tips for a Relaxed Commute

• Use public transportation—according to transportation researchers, this is healthier and less stressful than sitting in traffic every day while driving.
• Make the most of your commute—whether you’re reading a good book, enjoying an audiobook, or working—you’ll feel less like you’re wasting time if you consciously use the time for yourself.
• Put on headphones—music at a reasonable volume helps block out distracting ambient noise, especially if your headphones have noise-canceling features.
• Make the most of the weekend—for exercise and free time to relax in nature or at home with a little peace and quiet.

Hearing Test at the Train Station and Airport

Ask yourself how well you can hear in your commuting environment. For some time now, you’ve been able to easily test online how well your ears cope with the background noise at train stationsor airports. Listen to the audio samples and try to understand everything. You’ll then be asked to answer a few questions. Afterward, you’ll receive the test results along with recommendations for next steps. If you find it difficult to follow conversations or understand announcements, it’s time to see an ENT doctor or hearing care professional.