Football season is a fun fall activity for many, whether following from the comfort of your home or experiencing the excitement of a stadium. If you wear hearing aids, or are one of the 28.8 million Americans who could benefit by wearing them, you might wonder how to fully enjoy the season while protecting your hearing. Fortunately, with a few adjustments, you can optimize your hearing aids for game day and still protect your hearing at live events.
Watching Football on TV
When watching games on TV, your hearing aids can help enhance your listening experience, ensuring you don’t miss a moment of the analysis, sounds of the game or commentary of those around you. Here are some tips to get the most out of your hearing aids:
- Utilize TV streaming features: Many modern hearing aids are equipped with Bluetooth® streaming capabilities that allow direct audio from your TV to your hearing aids. Check your hearing aid settings or consult your hearing specialist to ensure this feature is enabled.
- Adjust sound settings: If your hearing aids offer custom sound profiles, create a dedicated setting for TV viewing. This can help filter background noise and focus on the voices of announcers or in-game audio, giving you a clearer understanding of the action.
- Use closed captions: If you still find it difficult to catch dialogue, turning on closed captions can be a helpful backup. It ensures you don’t miss key moments, and it’s an extra layer of enjoyment in case you miss what’s being said due to background noise.
Attending Games in Person
Nothing compares to the energy of attending a live football game, but stadiums can be loud, which makes both hearing well and protecting your hearing more difficult. Here’s how to enjoy the live experience while protecting your hearing:
- Resist the urge to turn up your volume: While it’s tempting to turn up the volume on your hearing aids to hear everything, stadium noise levels are often high enough on their own.
- Use noise reduction features: Many hearing aids have noise-canceling or noise reduction settings that can help filter out overwhelming background noise and focus in on speech sounds. Activate these features to focus on the game or those sitting next to you without the distraction of cheers or echoes in the stadium.
- Wear ear protection: If you’re attending a particularly loud game or sitting near a noisy section, consider using ear protection over your hearing aids.
- Take listening breaks: Your ears need rest from exposure to loud noises. Take breaks in the concourse away from the roar of the stadium occasionally to give your ears a break.
Whether you’re watching at home or attending a live game, football season can be fully enjoyed with hearing aids when you make the right adjustments. By using technology to your advantage and taking steps to protect your hearing, you can cheer on your favorite team while ensuring your ears remain healthy and your hearing aids function optimally.