Going on vacation soon? Traveling is a wonderful opportunity to explore the world and get some well-deserved relaxation. If you have hearing loss, you don’t want to miss out on the sounds of your destination. Here are some tips to help you hear your best.
Communicate Smartly
Coordinating with your fellow travelers, chatting with locals and ordering food at the cool restaurant near your hotel will all require communication, often in complex listening environments, such as markets with lots of background noise or crowded tourist attractions.
View our Communication Strategies page for an in-depth guide on communicating with hearing loss and share it with your fellow travelers as well. Tricks like speaking slowly and concisely (not shouting!) and always facing the person speaking will help immensely when you’re trying to hear in a noisy or unfamiliar environment.
Avoid Loud Noises
Loud noise can cause major damage to the structures inside our ears that help us hear, leading to hearing loss or tinnitus. You want to protect your residual hearing on vacation by avoiding loud noises whenever possible, either by avoiding loud activities or by wearing good hearing protection when you are engaged in loud activities.
Even if loud noise doesn’t cause immediate, permanent damage, you still run the risk of a temporary threshold shift, when your hearing changes temporarily. Having (more-than-usual) muffled hearing during vacation could make your exploring quite difficult.
Mind Listening Fatigue
Mental energy is not an infinite resource, and if you have hearing loss, your brain uses more mental energy to hear. This means you’re apt to get tired more quickly and experience “brain fog”-like effects, such as difficulty concentrating, memory issues and reduced emotional regulation (i.e., you might feel a little grumpy).
If you feel your energy resources flagging after an intensive listening activity or towards the end of the day, acknowledge that hearing loss-related listening fatigue is probably the culprit and give your ears and brain a rest. Take a nap or excuse yourself from a noisy environment for a break.
Research and Use Accommodations
Many public spaces offer accommodations for hearing loss, such as assistive listening devices (ALDs), loop systems and closed captioning. If you’re planning on checking out a museum, show or other attraction at your vacation spot, check their website ahead of time for what accommodations they offer.
Additionally, if you’re staying at a hotel, you can request accommodations there, as well. You can request items such as visual alarms, text telephones and visual notification devices.
Wear Your Hearing Aids
Perhaps this tip is obvious, but it’s also important: wear your hearing aids! Their innumerable benefits can enhance your vacation significantly. Don’t leave home without them and make sure you pack extras of batteries, ear molds, domes and wax guards.
If you have any more questions about traveling with hearing loss or if you need to make an appointment for a hearing test or hearing aid cleaning before you go, make sure you call your team at Spartanburg-Greer ENT & Allergy. We’ll get you travel-ready for this exciting vacation.