{"id":522,"date":"2020-10-05T08:56:40","date_gmt":"2020-10-04T23:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/ustest\/what-is-binaural-hearing\/"},"modified":"2020-12-01T08:44:56","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T23:44:56","slug":"what-is-binaural-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/ustest\/hearing-loss\/what-is-binaural-hearing\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Binaural Hearing?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simply, binaural hearing is the ability to hear clearly with both ears.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#Why_is_Binaural_Hearing_Important\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">1<\/span> Why is Binaural Hearing Important?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#The_Benefits_of_Binaural_Hearing\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">2<\/span> The Benefits of Binaural Hearing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#What_is_Binaural_Hearing_Loss\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">3<\/span> What is Binaural Hearing Loss?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Binaural_vs_Monaural_Hearing_Aids\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">4<\/span> Binaural vs Monaural Hearing Aids<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Why_Choose_Binaural_Hearing_Aids\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">5<\/span> Why Choose Binaural Hearing Aids?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"Why_is_Binaural_Hearing_Important\"><b>Why is Binaural Hearing Important?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humans naturally possess binaural hearing. The same way music nearly always sounds better in stereo rather than mono, hearing is far more useful when your two sound-receivers (ears!) are both in working order.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Particularly important is the fact that binaural hearing provides for 360-degree hearing in a way we often take for granted, allowing us to hear sounds clearly from every direction without turning our heads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As far as we know, our hearing pinpoints sound in a similar way to that in which GPS satellites pinpoint users, by<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">using the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/medicine-and-dentistry\/binaural-hearing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">relative time delay<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between received signals. For example, a sound off at a right angle to the head can reach your nearest ear 0.6 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">milliseconds <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before it reaches the ear on the other side. Equally usefully, the sound arriving at each ear can be of slightly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/medicine-and-dentistry\/binaural-hearing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">different volumes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to what audiologists call \u2018head shadow.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We don\u2019t just hear with our ears, but with our brains too. The ears transmit all this data to the brain, which uses some complicated processes honed over our lifetimes and humanity\u2019s far longer evolutionary career to tell us as best as it can what a sound is and where it\u2019s coming from.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Benefits_of_Binaural_Hearing\"><b>The Benefits of Binaural Hearing<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an evolutionary context, the benefits of being able to hear a sound and immediately pinpoint its location are obvious. Somewhere, far back in the past, enough of your ancestors used their keen binaural hearing to dodge predators that you\u2019re here today to read this article.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even in the present day, whether we\u2019re on hunting trips, in noisy bars, at concerts, or doing vehicle repairs, we enjoy and rely on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">intelligibility<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> localization<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 the ability to hear a sound clearly and tell where it is coming from \u2013 without really even thinking about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Binaural hearing also helps us communicate clearly \u2014 as sound entering each ear has been demonstrated to stimulate the opposite side of the brain. The precise benefits of this are unclear, but it appears that when<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">we hear with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hearingbalance.com\/patient-resources\/what-is-binaural-hearing-loss#:~:text=Binaural%20hearing%20is%20what%20humans,us%20to%20hear%20in%20stereo\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">both ears<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and both halves of the brain we find speech more intelligible and have access to more auditory information, allowing us to better fill in gaps in speech, tune in to specific sound sources and tune out background noise.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_Binaural_Hearing_Loss\"><b>What is Binaural Hearing Loss?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Binaural hearing loss is a hearing loss that affects both ears. By contrast, monaural hearing loss affects just one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Binaural hearing has a wide range of benefits as detailed above, which we often don\u2019t realize until it\u2019s too late. Unfortunately, even mild hearing loss in both ears can have outsized negative effects, as the information the brain receives from the ears becomes hard to process; garbled, confused or just not quite right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/hearing-loss\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The severity, onset, and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">specific effects<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of binaural hearing loss vary from person to person. Some people are quite severely hearing-impaired in both ears, others only mildly. Some people have one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/blogs\/the-olive-branch\/what-is-asymmetrical-hearing-loss\">\u2018bad\u2019 ear and another \u2018good\u2019 <\/a>one. Hearing loss, of course, can arrive suddenly or gradually.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Either way, binaural hearing loss can often result in a marked reduction in our ability to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">localize<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sounds, to hear everything that\u2019s going on in our surroundings, and is often<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accompanied by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/blogs\/the-olive-branch\/a-guide-to-tinnitus\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tinnitus.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hearing speech clearly is often particularly tricky for those with binaural hearing loss. As referenced above, it\u2019s thought that the interplay between the two halves of the brain after receiving signals from both ears aids both hearing and comprehension. Without this, many hard-of-hearing people (even those with extremely mild hearing loss) have to concentrate hard to clearly hear a single speaker in a noisy room.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfectly understandably, this can sometimes lead to tiredness, frustration, and a feeling of exclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thankfully, whatever the specific profile of your hearing loss, technological advances mean it\u2019s more likely than ever before your hearing can be restored to a passable or even near-perfect level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Binaural_vs_Monaural_Hearing_Aids\"><b>Binaural vs Monaural Hearing Aids<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The popular idea of a hearing aid is a simple sound amplifier. Until quite recently, this really was the case, and many people still wear this kind of hearing aid. These assistive devices operate on an individual basis, taking the sound that enters the ear and amplifying it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why would this present a problem? Isn\u2019t that how the ears work, anyway?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, as detailed above, the ears work by a more opaque and more complicated neurological magic than this. As a result, with individual, one-sided hearing aids, wearers can sometimes hear what\u2019s going on in their surroundings as a plain \u2018wall\u2019 of sound while struggling to make out specific sources of noise (like the person in front of them). Plain technology doesn\u2019t always match well to our sophisticated brains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nowadays, smarter binaural<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aids or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/blogs\/the-olive-branch\/what-are-cros-and-bicros-hearing-aids\">CROS hearing aids<\/a> come in a radio-linked pair, creating a convincing imitation of our natural hearing and stimulating our brain\u2019s auditory centers. Tuned right, they can bring back in part or almost in whole our natural powers of localization<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">across a 360-degree range, improve our ability to tune out background noise, and, often,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">alleviate the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/blogs\/the-olive-branch\/can-hearing-aids-help-tinnitus\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">symptoms of tinnitus.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, everyone is different and some people will prefer monaural hearing amplifiers instead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Why_Choose_Binaural_Hearing_Aids\"><b>Why Choose Binaural Hearing Aids?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A comparison can be drawn between hearing aids and vision-correcting lenses. After all, with two bad eyes you\u2019d much rather wear a pair of glasses than a monocle, or two monocles together \u2014 so why not apply the same logic to your hearing?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people take their chances with their two-sided hearing loss, correcting only their \u2018bad ear.\u2019 For some people, this is perfectly serviceable, but these individuals are almost certainly missing out on the aforementioned benefits to speech intelligibility, sound localization, and their enjoyment of a full-spectrum soundscape.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, modern hearing aids have other handy design features that old-style amplifier aids lack. Notably, advances in tiny battery-powered tech allow smart microphones inside the hearing aid to swivel to face and receive sound sources.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Older aids are tuned to mainly pick up sound in the direction in which the wearer is looking, which can sometimes leave a friend struggling to get their attention from behind. A new-model monaural aid can pivot its microphone towards the relevant source of a sound, of course, but this ability is far more useful when it\u2019s two-sided \u2014 with the right set of binaural aids, one aid can pivot to listen behind as required while another keeps its attention faced front and center.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Binaural aids can even be fine-tuned for certain environments, sound levels, and personal preference. For example, while it\u2019s a Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP,) not a medical-grade hearing aid, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/products\/smart-ear\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Olive Smart Ear<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can be set up and tuned for binaural use via a smartphone app.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Binaural hearing aids can be a really useful tool to restore not just your hearing, but the less-noticeable benefits of two-sided hearing most people take for granted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To find out more, see some useful resources below or check out our other <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/blogs\/the-olive-branch\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">blog articles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The information in this guide has been written using the following reliable sources:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/hearing-loss\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/hearing-loss\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drshearingcare.com\/binaural-hearing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.drshearingcare.com\/binaural-hearing<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.starkey.com\/blog\/articles\/2017\/12\/benefits-of-binaural-hearing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.starkey.com\/blog\/articles\/2017\/12\/benefits-of-binaural-hearing<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/medicine-and-dentistry\/binaural-hearing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/medicine-and-dentistry\/binaural-hearing<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hearingaidknow.com\/binaural-and-monaural-hearing-loss\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.hearingaidknow.com\/binaural-and-monaural-hearing-loss<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Humans naturally possess binaural hearing &#8211; you may not realise it but it helps us in so many different ways! Find out more about this type of hearing and how not having it can affect us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/ustest\/hearing-loss\/what-is-binaural-hearing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is Binaural Hearing? - Olive Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Humans naturally possess binaural hearing - you may not realise it but it helps us in so many different ways! 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