Why some people with hearing loss feel like a tuckered-out cat at the end of the day

Why some people with hearing loss feel like a tuckered-out cat at the end of the day: According to Pichora-Fuller et al. (2016), listeners with hearing loss "expend more mental effort to direct attention to and concentrate on... comprehending, remembering, and responding to [speech]…." And as a result, "they may experience fatigue and/or decide to quit the task at hand to avoid becoming fatigued." To counteract hearing-related cognitive fatigue: • “Chill out” with quiet time every day at about the same time of day, limiting verbal input, even reading, for about 20 minutes. • If warranted, use appropriately fitted hearing aids, ideally with noise reduction circuitry. • Engage in auditory brain training (e.g., Sommers et al., 2015). Ears train the brain
clEAR Auditory Brain Training

Eat Well, Hear Well

Women who follow a Mediterranean diet are less likely to incur hearing loss than women who do not, according to a study conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Curhan et al., 2018). Participants: 81,818 women Study Design: A longitudinal cohort study from 1991-2013 Diet types studied: 1) Alternative Mediterranean Diet (AMED); 2) Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH); and 3) Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010) Findings: The more closely a woman followed the AMED, the less likely she was to incur a hearing loss; in fact, her risk factor decreased by 30%. Conclusions: Enjoy the following---vegetables (except potatoes, sigh), fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, extra virgin olive oil, fish, and vino (!!—in moderation, of course). If you know a woman who hasn’t followed the AMED and may now have hearing loss, there’s help available.
Ears Train the Brain:
clEAR Auditory Brain Training

Veterans and Hearing Loss

Here are a few facts about Veterans and hearing loss:

• Over one million veterans receive compensation for hearing loss.
• The most common kind of hearing loss among veterans is noise-induced hearing loss, resulting from exposure to explosives or engine noise.  Veterans with this kind of hearing loss have a hard time hearing when there is background noise present, as in a noisy restaurant.
• Even if they score normally on a hearing test, many veterans experience difficulty understanding speech, a condition called "central auditory processing disorder."

clEAR has a customized lesson plan that provides auditory brain training specifically designed to enhance listening in noise and another plan that is specifically designed for those who suffer from central auditory processing disorder.

The clEAR auditory brain training games and other resources for Veterans can be found at these websites:

The Hearing Loss Association of American
Veterans' Health Council
clEAR Auditory Brain Training

Be proactive and let:  Ears Train the Brain

What the research shows about auditory brain training

What the research shows about auditory brain training:
• Improves speech discrimination (JSLHR, 2016; 2017)
• Reduces perceptual effort (Semin Hear, 2015)
• Diminishes everyday listening challenges  (JSLHR, 2016)
• Increases confidence for engaging in conversations (JSLHR, 2017; JAAA, 2012)
Much attention has been paid to the Johns Hopkins study that showed untreated hearing loss can hasten age-related cognitive decline (J. Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 2011).  Consequently, many patients are receptive to the notion of “exercising” their listening skills and cognitive auditory abilities.  Auditory brain training can be a key component in a comprehensive hearing healthcare plan, especially given the public’s growing awareness of the link between hearing treatment and good cognitive health.

clEAR auditory brain training: EARs train the brain

What people with hearing loss say about clEAR auditory brain training

Research tells us that patients benefit from and enjoy participating in auditory training programs. clEAR is an auditory brain training program that aims to teach the brain to recognize and process the important speech sounds that you want to hear, even when there is competing noise. Here are just a few of our patients' endorsements after training with clEAR:


* “I went to a wedding and was surprised at how well I heard even though the hall was noisy. The clEAR auditory training has really helped me.”
                          An experienced hearing aid user.
* “Thanks to clEAR, I don’t give up like I used to when I couldn’t understand someone. Now, I hang in there and pay attention and usually do really well.”
                          Someone who isn’t ready for hearing aids.
* “My son loves playing the clEAR games!”
                           Mother of a teenager who has hearing loss.


Interested in trying clEAR yourself? Visit our website at www. clearworks4ears.com to learn more. You can also sign-up for a clEAR training session at www.goo.gl/6NataH. (see also the two tabs below).

clEAR Auditory Brain Training
I want a training session

Ears train the brain: Start with clEAR auditory brain training today.
auditory brain training benefits senior citizens

Why do I need clEAR auditory brain training?

Are hearing and listening the same thing?

Surprisingly, they are not. Hearing allows you to receive acoustic information (speech) while listening requires your brain to attend to and interpret speech. For example, once a speech signal enters your ear, your brain must rapidly process each word and hold that string of words in memory long enough to comprehend and make sense of its meaning. Not only must your brain distinguish each word from all other possible words, but it must invoke mental skills such as auditory memory, auditory attention, and auditory processing speech in order for you to engage successfully in conversation.