Every person I have ever spoken to who has hearing loss struggles with hearing in situations with background noise. At the Hearing Loss Association of America’s convention, I learned about signal to noise ratio, which can help you understand background noise challenges.

Essentially, a signal to noise ratio is a method to measure exactly how much louder the speech needs to be than the background noise for you to be able to understand it. The higher the ratio, the more space there is between the decibels of the speech and the decibels of the background noise. We typically understand speech much better when there is better differentiation between sounds.

There are tests that audiologists can perform, such as a QuickSIN, that can give you an actual measurement of your struggles with background noise and help you make informed decisions about hearing assitive devices and lifestyle choices. The audiologist I heard from at the convention really emphasized the importance of having your hearing tested in a speech in noise capacity as well as in a quiet setting. As my audiologist has never tested my hearing with background noise before, that is something I am going to ask about at my next appointment. It really makes sense that in order to have your hearing device perform optimally, it needs to be tested in ways that actually simulate what hearing is like in real life.

A normal hearing score for a QuickSIN is 0 decibels. The commonly used test goes up to 26 decibels. The lower the score, the closer to a normal hearing level you have.

There are options to increase the signal to noise ratio. One way is hearing devices. Another is using a remote microphone that sounds directly to you in some fashion (whether that is aids, HeardThatApp, or just earbuds).

I love learning about terms and concepts like signal to noise ratio because I find that it is so important to be my own health advocate. Educating myself on the terminology as well as the best practices can help me communicate more clearly with my health professionals, as well as inform me when there may be additional tests or treatments my current provider is not offering. Audiology seems to be one of the many areas in health care where level of care can vary widely. I think it is really important to learn about your options and tools in advance so you can hopefully receive a lot of benefit from your audiologic care.

Signal-To-Noise Ratio (SNR)

https://hearingup.com/videos/the-real-reason-you-cant-hear-in-background-noise-with-hearing-aids-snr-loss-score