Category: Blog

Hearing loss may be a physical condition, but its impact on mental health is profound. Hearing is one of our most essential senses, and losing it can create a ripple effect, impacting many areas of life. This often leads to significant emotional challenges and can deeply affect overall well-being.

One of the most prevalent of these issues is social isolation, and many studies have found that hearing loss is associated with a higher risk of social isolation and loneliness. In this blog, we’ll explore the strong connection between hearing loss and isolation, and, more importantly, how to prevent this from happening to you or a loved one.

How hearing loss leads to social isolation

If we think about our interactions with others, these connections are built on communication and when our ability to hear is impaired, so is our ability to interact and communicate.

It’s not uncommon for those with a hearing impairment to notice that their relationships start to weaken as this level of communication begins to break down, and this can bring with it a whole host of challenges.

1. Struggles with communication

Struggling to follow conversations is one of the most common and frustrating challenges that many people with hearing loss face. Having a simple discussion requires more mental effort and can often result in misunderstandings or miscommunication which can be incredibly frustrating for everyone involved. Put this conversation in a noisy environment and this is heightened even more.

Over time, having a conversation can eventually lead hearing loss sufferers to experience communication fatigue, where talking with others becomes exhausting. It goes without saying that the natural response to this is to start avoiding social situations altogether so they can protect themselves from the frustration and stop the communication difficulties altogether.

2. Withdrawing from social activities

When communication becomes a struggle, this doesn’t just impact one-on-one relationships but can also take its toll on the social activities that an individual enjoyed pre-hearing loss.

Whether it’s a social event, family gathering, hobby or activity, it’s not uncommon for hearing loss sufferers to start skipping these events until they slowly phase themselves out of them altogether. This all stems back to the communication difficulties and the effort required to engage in these types of situations.

It’s a natural response and is generally the individual trying to save themselves from the embarrassment, frustration, or discomfort of not being able to keep up with conversations and those around them.

3. Impact on emotions

The emotional toll that hearing loss has on an individual can often be dismissed or simply misunderstood, but it’s really quite significant.

Combining communication difficulties and a general lack of social engagement can often lead to feelings of loneliness, as people become more isolated from their social circles. Loneliness can make people scared to engage in social situations and if this happens for long enough they can eventually feel completely disconnected from their surroundings, loved ones, and things they love the most.

Being lonely for a long time can lead to a negative spiral and have profound impacts on an individual’s mental health, sometimes escalating into feelings of depression or anxiety.

4. Hearing loss is invisible

Unlike visible disabilities, hearing loss is often unseen and can go unnoticed which can further complicate relationships. This is particularly true if an individual is suffering from undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss, as friends and family around them might not realise they are struggling to hear or understand them and may mistake this for simply being uninterested or disengaged.

This can cause further strain on relationships and the lack of awareness can make it even more difficult for those with hearing loss to stay socially connected, as they may feel misunderstood or isolated.

All of these things combined – communication struggles, social withdrawal, emotional impact and lack of awareness can ultimately drive an individual towards social isolation.

The science behind hearing loss and isolation

The link between hearing loss and isolation doesn’t just come from how a person processes their emotions, it’s backed by scientific evidence and is deeply rooted in the way our brains process information.

There is plenty of research showing that untreated hearing loss doesn’t just isolate individuals from their environment, but can also trigger a series of negative physiological effects.

Understanding cognitive load and brain health

When we experience a decline in hearing, our brain has to work harder to interpret speech and sounds which is known as an increased cognitive load.

In individuals with full hearing, their brain filters and interprets sounds effortlessly. However, when hearing is compromised, the brain is forced to dedicate more resources to understanding sounds leaving fewer resources available for other cognitive functions like memory, attention, and problem-solving.

Over the years, research has shown a strong correlation between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline, especially in older adults. This study by Johns Hopkins Medicine concluded that older adults with hearing loss were at higher risk of developing cognitive issues, including dementia, compared to those with normal hearing.

So, how does this relate to isolation? Well, the constant effort to process sound and the stress on our cognitive function can make it harder for individuals to socially engage and eventually lead to withdrawal from these types of situations.

How the brain processes sound

Our brain’s auditory system processes a wide range of sounds but for those with hearing loss, these auditory signals sent to the brain are compromised. This means the brain receives less information than it needs to properly understand speech, especially in noisy environments.

When the brain has to fill in these gaps, it increases mental workload which ultimately leads to frustration and fatigue. Over time, this can lead to auditory deprivation where the brain’s sound-processing parts become less active, making it even more taxing and difficult to engage in conversations, forcing individuals to avoid them altogether.

How to avoid isolation from hearing loss

With all of the above information taken into account, the connection between hearing loss and isolation is very clear but it doesn’t have to be permanent.

It’s important to understand that many of these complications arise when hearing loss is undiagnosed and untreated, so recognising the problem and seeking help is the first step.

Why early detection of hearing loss is crucial

With hearing loss, it doesn’t have to be too late to take action. Regular hearing tests are essential for early diagnosis, especially for individuals who are at a higher risk such as older adults or those frequently exposed to loud noise.

For many people, hearing loss can develop gradually which can make it easy to adapt to decreased hearing without even realising it. However, hearing loss can worsen over time so the earlier it is detected, the better the outcomes.

Untreated hearing loss can cause further damage down the line, as it only continues to place further strain on the brain and auditory system, ultimately leading to a higher degree of hearing loss and a greater chance of experiencing associated issues.

This is why we are so passionate about undergoing regular hearing tests because they are the only way to accurately diagnose hearing loss and devise a suitable treatment plan, such as the use of hearing aids.

Hearing aids are the most effective solution for most people as they help restore hearing to a certain level, reducing the amount of strain placed on the brain and therefore reducing the risks of associated side effects like loneliness and social isolation.

Booking a hearing test

At Harley Street Hearing, we are proud to have a team of highly qualified clinical audiologists offering professional, thorough hearing tests. Our hearing tests are designed to produce the most accurate results and our audiologists are here to ensure you receive the most suitable treatment.

As an independent audiologist, we can offer an extensive range of hearing aids from all major manufacturers and will always recommend the best option to suit your lifestyle and budget.

Whether you’ve noticed a change in your hearing or haven’t had a hearing assessment in a while, it’s important to book one as soon as possible. We have four hearing clinics across London and a team of specialists ready to help you hear to the best of your ability.

Contact us online or call us on 020 7486 1053 to book an appointment.

How often do you lose your hearing aids? If you’re ever frantically searching your house looking for them, then Phonak’s new state-of-the-art hearing aid tracking technology is going to be perfect for you. And here’s everything that you need to know about it.

MyPhonak “Find my hearing aid” app feature

Every hearing aid manufacturer has had a “find my hearing aid” feature since the dawn of time. Well, not quite that early, but certainly since the release of ReSound’s first-ever Bluetooth-compatible hearing aid way back in 2010.

Yet one manufacturer, Sonova, which encompasses leading brands Unitron and Phonak, hasn’t. And believe me, over the years, I have begged them for it on your behalf.

Why? Well, in a recent poll that I put out on YouTube, around 30% of viewers have lost a hearing aid in the past, and this could have been prevented with today’s new feature.

So, today’s big news is that the newest MyPhonak app update, version 6.9 – which coincides with the release of the Phonak Audeo Infinio, Audeo Sphere Infinio, and Virto Infino – will now give you access to Phonak’s brand-new “find my hearing aid” feature.

In practice, this means that if your hearing aid or CROS system falls out or is missing, the GPS on your smartphone will show you the last time your phone and your hearing aids were together. So, if you’ve lost one, you’ll be able to trace your steps and then find it.

How does it work?

There are a couple of things that are important for me to mention early on. Firstly, the app will now ask permission to use your location services. You have to allow this for it to work, and it must also be set to “always allow.” If you don’t take that step, then it won’t work.

Secondly, I have been assured by Phonak that Sonova does not have access to your location data, so panic not – they will not be tracing your every movement.

When it’s working, it will help you to find your hearing aids in two different ways: firstly, on a map if you’re far away from them, and then secondly, you’ll notice these little hot and cold bars which should get you within a few feet of your hearing aids.

The sad news

I can only assume that this is now possible with the introduction of LE Audio into these new hearing aids from Phonak; however, Phonak will neither confirm nor deny this. In reality,
it doesn’t matter how they’ve done it—the main thing is that they’ve caught up with the competition.

Sadly though, this feature is not backwards compatible, so it won’t work with your Lumity, Paradise, or Marvel hearing aids.

Before you go and do this update, I would thoroughly recommend checking out this video reviewing Phonak’s supercharged Audeo Sphere hearing aids.

Never Lose Your Hearing Aids Again With THIS MyPhonak App Update Video

Matthew Allsop is a Partner at Harley Street Hearing and the content creator for Hearing Tracker, where he shares his honest opinions on all things to do with hearing health and hearing aid technology. Hearing Tracker is the world’s first truly independent resource for hearing aid customers. You can watch his video on the MyPhonak App update below.

Enjoy this article? You might be interested in some of our others:

• Phonak releases brand new Infinio hearing aids
• Phonak Audéo Infinio Sphere Review: 5 Pros & 5 Cons
• Why Phonak Lyric is the best invisible hearing aid of 2024

Tinnitus is a common condition which affects around 10 to 25% of adults. However, there are different types of tinnitus and certain criteria which means it’s important to get it investigated immediately – all of these criteria will be covered in this article.

So, what exactly is tinnitus?

Simply put, tinnitus is technically any sound that you hear in your ears or your head which is not being produced by an external sound source. In fact, it’s different for everybody.

In a recent poll that I put out on my YouTube channel asking about personal experiences with tinnitus, there was a mixed bag of descriptions which included pulsatile, tonal, roaring, electric buzzing, and ringing, to boiling kettle static sounds, warble sounds, and even the sound of people chanting in the forest.

I personally suffer from a high-pitched, continual tinnitus, which sounds something like this: it’s there 24/7, and I notice it the most if I’m lying in bed in the evening, or if I’m tired, stressed, or unwell. It gives me great solace to know that tinnitus is unbelievably common, with around 50 million people experiencing some form of tinnitus, and more often than not, it’s nothing that you need to worry about.

Tinnitus that requires a doctor

There are, however, certain characteristics with any of the tinnitus sounds that I’ve just mentioned that do require an immediate medical opinion.

For example:

• If your tinnitus is only in one ear
• If it’s changed in nature over a very short period of time
• If it stops you from sleeping or
• If it contributes to you experiencing anxiety or depression

But saying all of that doesn’t cover the subject of today’s topic, and the big question is: why is the type of tinnitus that I’m talking about today any different whatsoever? And why is it a little bit more serious than all of those that I’ve just listed above?

Firstly, it’s not as common. Research shows that pulsatile tinnitus affects around 5 million Americans, and to add to that, it isn’t just annoying like a lot of the other tinnitus we’ve discussed. However, it could potentially be a sign of an underlying health issue – hence my recommendation for immediate investigation.

Pulsatile tinnitus sound

If your tinnitus sounds a little like a heartbeat, swishing or whooshing, it’s likely that you’re experiencing a form of pulsatile tinnitus. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a bit different and potentially more serious than any other form of tinnitus.

Instead of a continuous noise, you’ll hear a rhythmic sound that can match your heartbeat, and unlike other forms of tinnitus, which are often a continual tone, pulsatile tinnitus beats in sync with your pulse.

What causes pulsatile tinnitus?

There are several causes of pulsatile tinnitus, some being benign and others which are a little more serious.

Atherosclerosis

This condition occurs when plaque, which is made up of fat, cholesterol, and other substances, builds up inside your arteries. Over time, this plaque hardens and causes narrowing, restricting blood flow. If this happens in the arteries near your ears, the turbulent blood flow can create a rhythmic sound that matches your heartbeat, which you may perceive as pulsatile tinnitus.

Blood vessel disorders

Certain blood vessel disorders can also lead to pulsatile tinnitus, with conditions such as aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations being key examples of this. An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of an artery, often due to weaknesses in the arterial wall.

Again, if this occurs near your ear, it can cause turbulent blood flow, leading to pulsatile tinnitus. Slightly differently, arteriovenous malformations are abnormal connections between the arteries and the veins, bypassing the capillary system. Again, if this happens, it can cause direct high-pressure blood flow from your arteries to your veins, creating this pulsatile sensation.

High blood pressure

Another cause for pulsatile tinnitus is high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, which can result in an increase in blood flow force through your arteries, especially near your ear. Again, this turbulent flow can create a rhythmic sound in sync with your heartbeat, perceived as a thumping or whooshing noise.

Ear abnormalities

Ear abnormalities such as superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome which occurs when part of the bone near your semicircular canals in your inner ear is abnormally thin or missing, can also be a risk factor for pulsatile tinnitus.

In around 1 to 2% of individuals, this bone doesn’t mature and thicken properly and, in fact, can even become thinner with age. This is often accompanied by sufferers excessively hearing their own voice, and their footsteps, and it’s even reported that some sufferers can hear their own eye movements.

Tumours

Another cause of pulsatile tinnitus could potentially be a tumour, such as a glomus tumour, in your head or neck. These highly vascular tumours compress nearby blood vessels, disrupting normal blood flow and creating a rhythmic sound, which you may perceive as pulsatile tinnitus.

Glomus jugular tumours, for example, can grow near the jugular vein and into your middle ear, causing this kind of tinnitus, which is sometimes accompanied by hearing loss too.

Myoclonus

As well as the conditions that can cause pulsatile tinnitus, there are also types of rhythmical tinnitus. For example, myoclonus is a condition that involves the rhythmic contraction of muscles within your middle ear, which can sometimes contract involuntarily. It’s a little bit like that strange feeling that you get when your eyelid twitches—we’ve all experienced that. When these muscles in your middle ear spontaneously contract, it can lead to a rhythmic sound, but it doesn’t necessarily follow your pulse like pulsatile tinnitus would.

Patulous eustachian tube dysfunction

Another pretty rare cause of rhythmic sounds inside your head is something called patulous eustachian tube syndrome. Normally, the eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the back of your nose, remains closed and only opens briefly during activities such as swallowing or yawning.

However, with patulous eustachian tubes, your tube might stay open more often, which allows the sound of breathing and speaking to be transmitted directly to your middle ear, creating this rhythmical tinnitus-type sound.

How is pulsatile tinnitus investigated?

So, if you have pulsatile tinnitus how can you find out the most likely cause? If I come across anybody in the clinic who experiences pulsatile tinnitus, I will immediately refer them to an ENT to look into that cause.

Normally, they’ll start by taking a detailed medical history and performing a physical examination which focuses on your head, neck, and ears. Believe it or not, they may even attempt to listen to your pulsatile tinnitus themselves using a stethoscope.

There are various tests that will help to pinpoint the exact cause of your pulsatile tinnitus, which is crucial for finding the right treatment for you. These can include imaging tests such as an MRI or CT scan, which will provide detailed images around your head and neck, and even an ultrasound can be performed to check the blood flow in your neck.

What happens if pulsatile tinnitus is left untreated or uninvestigated?

It’s important to mention here that more often than not, pulsatile tinnitus is nothing that you need to worry about. But you should definitely head over to your doctor for further investigation so that they can rule out any dangerous causes.

In very extreme cases when it’s not treated and it’s an indication of something more sinister, there is the rare possibility that whatever is causing your tinnitus could also lead to blindness, strokes, issues with walking or talking, or even fatality.

So, as you can appreciate, this is why I recommend having it investigated as soon as possible, so a doctor can determine whether your pulsatile tinnitus is dangerous or not. Assuming that it’s nothing sinister, there are also a handful of lifestyle changes that you can personally make to reduce your own tinnitus, and I’ve outlined them in the video below.

If you’d like any further information about this or any other hearing query please call 020 7486 1053 or complete the form below .

What is Pulsatile Tinnitus? Seek IMMEDIATE Medical Advice Video

Matthew Allsop is a Partner at Harley Street Hearing and the content creator for Hearing Tracker, where he shares his honest opinions on all things to do with hearing health and hearing aid technology. Hearing Tracker is the world’s first truly independent resource for hearing aid customers. You can watch his video on pulsatile tinnitus below.

Enjoy this article? You might be interested in some of our others:

• What is tinnitus?
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• Comparing the best hearing aids for tinnitus 2024

Welcome to the third article in this blog series on entering into the world of hearing aids. So far we’ve discussed trying hearing aids for the first time and what it might feel like when you first begin wearing your devices.

During this article, we’ll be discussing some of the thoughts you might be having if you’re coming towards the end of your trial period. Furthermore, I’ll offer some reflections that I hope will help guide your decision about whether you would like to keep your devices, or not.

Thought 1: Reflect

When you first visited Harley Street Hearing, part of your hearing aid assessment will have included discussing the listening situations you find the most challenging.  These are called your ‘outcome measures’ and help your audiologist to assess your progress over the course of your appointments. These measures are unique to you and could have included hearing your family, difficulty socialising, or simpler hearing moments like the doorbell or telephone ringing.

At Harley Street Hearing we care deeply about you and your aural fulfilment and want to provide the best possible improvements. Take time to reflect on the concerns you initially raised with your audiologist and evaluate if you feel these situations have become easier, more difficult, or if there has been no change at all. If you have been keeping a sound diary, then use it to reflect on the changes you have noticed in the last month, since you began wearing your hearing devices.

Thought 2: Don’t panic!

Should you not be getting on as well as you hoped with your devices, then don’t panic. Your follow-up appointments provide the perfect opportunity for you to reflect honestly with your audiologist about your progress. The more information you have to hand (especially where there’s room for improvement) the better, as this allows us to fine-tune your devices and make tailored suggestions to suit the specific challenges you might be facing.

I often describe to my patients that one of three things can happen during their follow-up appointments:

1. You’re getting on well and seeing improvements with your hearing. This is wonderful news and allows us to continue down the rehabilitation journey we have started together. We’ll make adjustments to your hearing aid settings based on your feedback to try and improve things even further.
2. You’re seeing some positives, but also some negatives. This is where we can come back to the drawing board and consider our options. At Harley Street Hearing you are welcome to have trials with multiple devices, to see what options might result in better outcomes for you.  This could be considering a different manufacturer, or maybe a different style of hearing aid.  Your audiologist will guide you on what options they think will have the best chance to overcome the difficulties you have encountered.
3. You’re not getting on well at all and are wondering if hearing aids are the right thing for you. Should this be the case, then there are multiple things we can do together. Firstly, if you are at all on the fence, then we may be able to extend your trial period, giving you the chance to try your hearing aids with further adjustments. However, if you would rather return to trialling hearing aids at another time, then you are welcome to return the devices to us within your trial period, and you will receive a full refund for the devices, minus a small trial fee.

Thought 3: What’s included?

Financial considerations are, of course, a crucial part of your decision-making process. So it’s important to highlight what you would be getting as a hearing aid patient of Harley Street Hearing:

1. A lifetime’s worth of aftercare – all your appointments, including wax removal, are all included within the cost of the hearing aids.
2. Two-year manufacturer warranty on the devices, which can be extended to four years.
3. Complimentary annual reviews. We want to see all of our hearing aid patients at least once a year.  These 60-minute appointments give us the opportunity to check the health of your ears, retest your hearing, and ensure your hearing aids are doing the best job they can be for you.
4. Two years’ worth of batteries. Should your hearing aids use replaceable batteries, enjoy a two year supply, included within the cost of your hearing aids.
5. Excellent customer service.  As of September 2024, Google has us rated at 4.9 stars after a whopping 1362 reviews. Don’t just take our word for it, we pride ourselves on our aftercare and this comes across in how people review us.

We also have the option of payment plans, should this make purchasing the devices more manageable for you.

Even if you choose not to go ahead with the devices, this would not mean the end of your care under Harley Street Hearing. We will endeavour to offer you complimentary annual reviews, to retest your hearing and see if we can be of any further help for you in the years to come. To find out more contact us here.

Enjoy this article? You might be interested in some of our others:

• Audiologist Insider: Part One – So you’ve decided to think about hearing aids
• Audiologist Insider: Part Two – So you’ve started wearing hearing aids?
• How do hearing aids work?

Harley Street Hearing has an exciting new Auditory Training Therapy (ATT) service, and we did an interview with Nadia Abbott, Senior Audiologist at Harley Street Hearing who is running the service to find out more about it.

Welcome Nadia, thanks for taking the time to speak with us! So, tell us a bit more about your background:

I graduated as a Speech Therapist and Audiologist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa in 2010 and over the years I have worked in both speech therapy and audiology settings in South Africa and the UK.  There are not always ample opportunities wherein I can combine these two qualifications’ skillsets but with this new service there is a nice balance between the two.

So tell us what is Auditory Training Therapy?

With the auditory training therapy my background is in the Buffalo Model therapy which was developed initially to treat auditory processing disorder (APD) but has been successful in helping anyone who has processing difficulties to improve these skills, this includes those with hearing loss. The therapy is individualised and focuses on the auditory processing skills that are affected like speech-in-noise processing, sound identification and discrimination, localisation and sound integration from both ears. It does this by helping patients to make new associations between the words or parts of words (called phonemes) that they are hearing and what has actually been said.

Ok let’s take a step back, what is Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a disorder of the central auditory system which causes a disruption in the way an individual’s brain understands what they are hearing. It does not affect the hearing mechanism and can exist in people with normal hearing but also co-exist with individuals who have a hearing loss. In much more basic terms, it’s what the brain does with what the ears hear.

Typical characteristics of someone with APD:

• Unable to localise the direction of sound.​
• Difficulty understanding words that are spoken quickly or in a noisy room.​
• Difficulty paying attention to auditory information.​
• Reading and spelling difficulties.​
• Challenges following directions unless they are short and simple.​
• Challenges with learning a new language.​
• Difficulties singing or enjoying music.​
• Trouble understanding and remembering spoken information.​
• Taking longer to reply to someone who is talking to you.​
• Often need others to repeat themselves.​
• Struggles to understand sarcasm or jokes.

Does a person have to be diagnosed with APD to benefit from Auditory Training Therapy?

Yes and no. If someone has normal hearing but they suspect they may have APD then we would recommend an APD assessment to diagnose APD and to determine which processing skills, they struggle with.

If someone has hearing loss, then we know that some of their processing skills will be affected due to the loss and duration of the loss, so in these cases the assessment is not done to necessarily diagnose APD but to determine which processing skill are affected so we can focus our therapy accordingly. Hearing technology would also be recommended since improving access to speech sounds will help ensure the brain is getting as much information as possible which helps with processing.  Beyond this, if there are still difficulties then ATT would also be recommended.

Expanding on that last point, Harley Street Hearing has a lot of patients with hearing loss, so who would you recommend should have ATT?

Patients who would benefit most from this therapy are individuals who have been fitted with hearing aids and have had fine tunings and adjustments made to their hearing aids but still feel that they are struggling in various situations regarding their hearing.  It is important to note that often the difficulties experienced are not a result of the ears not accessing the sound with the hearing aids but more due to how this sound is processed by the brain. During ATT we identify where the brain is struggling, and we address this in the therapy. This therapy has even been proven to be successful for individuals with Cochlear Implants, a special type of hearing device that is implanted into the ear.

How is the Auditory Training Therapy program structured at Harley Street Hearing?

The program consists of 12 weeks of therapy but there will always be an assessment before we start therapy and a re-assessment at the end to determine the level of improvement of the affected auditory skillset. This therapy can be offered in the clinic or via telecare remote sessions over Zoom.

If someone is interested in Auditory Training Therapy, what should they do to access this service?

If you have already been diagnosed with APD, suspect you may have APD or if you are already one of our loyal patients who wears hearing aids and feel that you need some additional help to improve your hearing experience then give us a call to get more information or to get the right appointment booked for you. Contact us here.

Thank you so much Nadia for taking the time to speak with us about Auditory Processing Disorder and Auditory Training Therapy!

Enjoy this article? You might be interested in some of our others:

• Does loss of hearing affect balance?
• Audiologist Insider – So you’ve decided to think about hearing aids
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I will be the first to admit that I’ve been very excited about Phonak’s new Audéo Sphere Infinio hearing aid. However, my responsibility to you is to go beyond just outlining those positives.

I’ll discuss the top five reasons I think you should buy them, but they are definitely not without their flaws, so I have an equal number of negatives that you need to consider before you do so.

Reasons you should buy the Audéo Sphere Infinio

It’s been a few weeks now since I attended the epic launch of this new hearing aid technology, and I was delighted to be the only audiologist from the UK to attend. Now that I’ve had some time to get hands-on with them, here are five standout features that I think are worth shouting about.

1. Speech in noise processing

Firstly is Phonak’s introduction of their Deep Sonic chip, which is a world first. These hearing aids contain a separate computer chip designed to separate the speech you want to hear from background noise. Honestly, I wish you could have all been exposed to the demonstrations I experienced, because not only does it work, but it works incredibly well. In fact, in a couple of weeks’ time, I aim to upload some sound files demonstrating its capabilities versus some of Phonak’s competitors, so make sure that you watch this space.

This Deep Sonic chip essentially cleans up speech from noise using artificial intelligence in the form of a deep neural network, which has been trained using 22 million sound samples. Phonak claims it is capable of performing 7.7 billion operations per second. As a result, Phonak boasts that this provides a 10 dB signal-to-noise ratio improvement and up to 36.7% enhancement in speech understanding in noisy environments compared to their competitors.

Now, you don’t need to just take my word for it. Hearing Tracker has teamed up with HearAdvisor, an independent hearing aid vetting lab that has built a breathtaking audio lab allowing for the independent testing of all hearing aid technology. The mastermind behind this is Dr. Steve Taddei, and for the first time ever, this setup allows for the comparison of hearing aid products using a standardised test battery.

Now, you might be thinking, why is this important? Well, instead of relying on each manufacturer’s testing, where somehow they always manage to find a way to rank themselves as number one with their own results, for the first time it’s now possible to compare each manufacturer reliably. Here’s the latest data from HearAdvisor comparing all manufacturers’ latest products, and as you can see, the new Audéo Sphere Infinio is leaps and bounds ahead of every other hearing aid manufacturer for speech-in-noise performance.

So, the take-home message is that this artificial intelligence Deep Sonic chip is really doing what Phonak is promising.

2. Automatic environmental adaptability

Impressive new feature number two is Phonak’s update to AutoSense from version 5 to version 6. Now, AutoSense is one of my favourite adaptive programs out there. It’s designed to continuously analyse your surrounding acoustic environment and make real-time adjustments to optimise sound clarity and comfort.

This feature automatically categorises the world into seven key areas, including:

• Calm situations
• Speech in noise
• Spheric speech in loud noise
• Speech in car
• Comfort in noise
• Music

Your audiologist has full control over how these hearing aids react in each specific environment and can adjust them accordingly, which, in my opinion, is unrivalled by any other hearing aid manufacturer out there at this moment in time.

With this new AutoSense development, Phonak claims they have enhanced speech understanding by a further 16% and reduced listening effort by up to 45%, which again contributes to the hearing aids reducing background noise, making it easier for you to focus on conversations. This means you can rely more on your ears and less on focusing on lip reading and the context within a sentence.

3. Bluetooth connectivity

Phonak have always been pretty unique in their approach to connectivity, and they’re the only manufacturer out there to use classic Bluetooth, allowing you to connect to any Bluetooth source, including smartphones, tablets, and computers. This integration supports a wide range of audio codecs, ensuring high-quality streaming regardless of the source, and it also supports dual streaming, allowing you to connect to multiple devices simultaneously, which isn’t possible from any other hearing aid manufacturer out there at this moment in time.

Within the Infinio family of hearing aids, Phonak have improved the transmission power over their previous models, providing a far more stable Bluetooth connection. This ensures consistent audio quality and connectivity over a longer distance and creates a seamless, lag-free transition when switching audio between different sources.

On top of that, the Spheres also support hands-free calling, which is pretty limited with other hearing aid manufacturers, meaning you can keep your phone in your pocket, and the microphones on your hearing aids will pick up your voice to send to the other person on the end of the phone. This is both a positive and a negative, which I’ll discuss later.

The final connectivity feature which I think Phonak is right to be bragging about is the introduction of LE Audio, meaning they’re also Auracast-ready and will be compatible with the pending Auracast transmitters that we’re likely to see rolled out in public venues over the next few years.

It’s worth noting that, while it’s built into the Infinio, it hasn’t yet been activated. This will likely be done in the future with a simple and free firmware update. At this moment in time, in my opinion, it’s not really a big deal, as, as far as I’m aware, no public venues have yet installed the Auracast transmitters. But I do promise to update you on this as soon as I know more about that update.

4. Versatility

Reason number four that you should buy the Infinio Sphere is its versatility. As far as suitability goes, these are the fitting ranges for the interchangeable receiver wires, so whether you have a mild, moderate, severe, or profound hearing loss, they’re technically suitable for you.

I’m delighted to say that this also includes Phonak’s ActiveVent receivers, which I am a big fan of. This receiver, which is unique to Phonak, has a built-in moving piston that changes its position depending on your listening environment. It diverts either more or less sound naturally down your ear canal or, on the contrary, via the hearing aids.

So why would we want this? In turn, this will change how well you hear in noise, how clear your voice sounds, how clearly you can hear in general, and also how music sounds when it’s being streamed from your phone. If you’re wondering if this matters—yes, it does. A lot. There are both positives and negatives to having your ear canals either open or closed, and depending on your hearing loss, sometimes it’s beneficial to have a hearing aid that can do both, but on different occasions. Until ActiveVent was released by Phonak, this wasn’t possible.

For example, in a quiet environment, you might want the vent to be open, allowing natural sound in and out, giving you a nice, natural feeling and connecting you with your environment. Yet, when in noise, it’s better to have your ears closed so that all the sound you’re hearing is via your hearing aids, having been cleaned of background noise. The same thing goes for music and streaming, so when streaming from your phone, the ActiveVent will close, both blocking sound in and blocking sound out simultaneously, which should enhance your music, giving it greater fullness and richness when the sound is being streamed from your phone.

5. Robustness & durability

Now, my fifth and final reason that I think you should definitely try out these hearing aids, before I come on to the not-so-great elements about them, is their robustness. With Phonak’s previous family of hearing aids, they had one standout model which was brutally tested and pushed to the limits in terms of robustness—this was called their Life model.

When I was recently at the launch for the Audéo Sphere Infinio hearing aids, Phonak was screaming from the rooftops about this extra protection having resulted in far fewer breakdowns over the last few years, and I’m delighted to tell you today that Phonak has taken on board your feedback about the previous standards just not being good enough.

Reasons not to buy the Audéo Sphere Infinio

Now, I always share both sides of the story, and while everything I’ve listed so far is exactly what I would want a hearing aid to do, it wouldn’t be fair of me not to give you a balanced view of the technology. There are five things that mean the Audéo Sphere Infinio is not perfect for everybody out there.

1. Size

So, let’s discuss size. I honestly don’t think the size of these hearing aids is an issue, and I don’t want you to dwell too much on it. But I know it was also a concern that Phonak had when they were launching this technology. So, just to give you an idea in terms of size, here is a banana for scale, then you can see Phonak’s previous model, the L R, and also their biggest current competition, the Oticon Intent.

In all honesty, gone are the days when it used to be the race for the smallest hearing aids. Yes, there are, without question, smaller receiver-in-canal hearing aids out there, such as the Widex Moment, but it comes at a significant cost for functionality. For example, you will lose Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeability, and overall functions around clarity and noise reduction capabilities.

2. No disposable batteries

A recent poll on my Hearing Tracker YouTube channel showed at least a third of my subscribers use disposable batteries. Now, of course, I cannot be certain about this, but I am 99% sure—99.9% sure—that the Audéo Sphere Infinios will never be released in a disposable battery option. I know that’s a brave statement to make, but I feel that with the computational power within these hearing aids, and the energy that’s needed to drive them, I just don’t think a zinc-air battery will meet its needs.

That isn’t to say that the lesser-spec Audéo Infinios won’t come with a disposable battery option in the future, a little bit like we saw with the Phonak Lumity hearing aids. But it is worth noting that it was a good two years after their initial release that we saw the non-rechargeable version.

3. Battery performance

Now, I just knew that battery life was going to be a factor with these hearing aids. When I was initially exposed to these hearing aids back in January this year, way before they were released, Phonak, at a top-secret event, coyly asked us how important it was that the batteries on these hearing aids last for a full day. Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that there may be some issues around this, or it might be an issue going forward with regards to it lasting for a full day.

So, what does this mean in reality as far as you’re concerned? If the hearing aids are working in their AutoSense setting and adapting according to your environment, and you have a balanced lifestyle, then I am pleased to report that you will not have issues with battery life. They will last you for a full day.

Where the issue comes in is when the artificial intelligence ‘spherical speech in noise, speech in loud noise mode runs continuously. Continuous use could potentially reduce the battery life to around half of its capability. Only time will tell in reality if this is a significant problem for normal daily use.

4. Compatibility

As far as connectivity goes, there is no telecoil and no CROS system compatibility with the Spheres, and I am a big fan of both. If you are interested in the telecoil, then you’ll have to stick with Phonak’s Lumity family of hearing aids for now or look into one of Phonak’s competitors.

However, if you’re interested in a CROS system, then you can look at the standard Infinio. In all honesty, the lack of a telecoil shouldn’t be an issue for you going forward with the introduction of LE Audio and Auracast. However, until we see that global rollout of those transmitters into public venues, and if you’re used to utilising a loop system, then these hearing aids may not be right for you.

5. Bluetooth

The fifth issue that I’ve identified with the Infinio is the fact that Phonak uses classic Bluetooth. Yes, you heard me correctly—this came up in the positives too. That’s because, in my opinion, it is a blessing and a curse at the same time. All right, that sounds quite dramatic—it’s not that bad at all!

One feature that my patients love about their Phonak hearing aids is the fact that their microphones pick up their voice when they’re on the phone, and you can keep your phone in your pocket, giving you a truly hands-free experience, a bit like using a set of AirPods when you’re on a phone call.

The downside of this is that I have some patients—again, this depends on the phone they use—who report that if they take a call in a moderately noisy environment, the person on the other end of the call may struggle to hear them speaking. Now, to be fair, this is an issue with all manufacturers. However, the other guys do allow you to turn it on and off. I don’t know if this will change when the LE Audio features are enabled down the line, I will report back on this as soon as I know more.

But there is a fix if you’re an Apple user, which is to enable voice isolation mode on the phone itself. When enabled, this feature isolates the microphones on your hearing aids to pick up your voice only, and it cuts out—or aims to cut out—the surrounding noise, making it better for those hearing you on the other end of your phone call. And it does work.

So, now you should have a balanced view of all this new technology. But before you even consider buying them, you have to check out the best hearing aids of 2024.

Phonak Audéo Infinio Sphere Review: 5 Reasons to Buy it and 5 Reasons to Not!

Matthew Allsop is a Partner at Harley Street Hearing and the content creator for Hearing Tracker, where he shares his honest opinions on all things to do with hearing health and hearing aid technology. Hearing Tracker is the world’s first truly independent resource for hearing aid customers. You can watch his video reviewing the Phonak Audéo Infinio Sphere below.

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There are an estimated 3.6 billion gamers worldwide, which is almost half of the world’s population. This includes all different types of gaming – from casually playing on your smartphone to more serious PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo players.

For the more serious gamers, there’s a silent threat lurking: your hearing.

Gaming brings with it a huge risk of hearing loss and tinnitus, and both can be permanent. In this blog, we’ll discuss if your ears are likely to be affected and what you can do to prevent damaging them.

Are you in danger of hearing loss or tinnitus as a gamer?

The gaming set-up you have can be a huge contributor to whether or not your ears are in danger of damage. High-quality gaming headphones like the Audeze Maxwell or Logitech G Pro X2 Lightspeed can create an immersive experience, but they come with significant risks to your hearing.

These headphones can reach dangerously high volumes, exceeding 100 dB, which is comparable to the noise level of a rock concert or chainsaw. Exposure to impulse sounds like explosions can even reach 119 dB which is similar to standing next to a jet plane.

Prolonged exposure to such loud sounds can lead to noise-induced hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, a staggering 15% of Americans aged between 20 and 69 already suffer from hearing loss due to exposure to loud sounds.

The risk isn’t just about the volume but also the duration of exposure. In the UK, the safe limit is 85 dB for 8 hours, but every 3 dB increase halves the safe exposure time. For example, at 100 dB, your ears can start to sustain damage after just 15 minutes. So, if your gaming headphones hit 100 dB, technically, you can only wear them for 15 minutes before they start to damage your ears.

What damage are you doing to your hearing?

A recent British Medical Journal article did a systematic review of the evidence involving 50,000 people and highlighted a minimum of two life-changing conditions that you can experience with noise-induced hearing loss:

1. Tinnitus

This is often described as a constant ringing, buzzing, or humming sound that appears in either your ears or somewhere inside your head and it isn’t being produced by an external source.

Depending on the volume and the duration of the sound that you’re exposed to, your tinnitus may be temporary and come and go, or it may be permanent. Tinnitus can vary from a low-pitched roar to a high-pitched squeal, and it may be present in one or both ears.

Typically, it’s more noticeable in quiet environments and you’ll usually be more aware of it at night when you’re trying to get to sleep. In the long term, tinnitus sufferers might have difficulty concentrating and sleeping, and it can significantly impact your quality of life – but it’s also 100% avoidable.

If you’re already experiencing tinnitus, Harley Street Hearing’s tinnitus treatment services can help.

2. Noise-induced hearing loss

High volume levels in gaming put you at greater risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss but this can be prevented with suitable hearing protection. This is a key reason why you’ll see workers on a building site wearing hearing protection, as the sound levels they’re being exposed to are similar to those experienced through gaming headphones.

Noise-induced hearing loss can be deceptive, as it primarily affects your ability to hear high frequencies which are crucial for understanding speech clarity. Whilst you may still hear low tones and recognise that someone is speaking, the clarity and detail of speech will be lost, making conversations sound muffled as if talking through a wall. This can make distinguishing words particularly difficult, even though you can still hear voices.

This type of hearing loss results in conversations, especially those in noisy environments, becoming particularly difficult to understand. It’s likely that if you experience noise-induced hearing loss due to gaming you’ll need a hearing aid in the near future – again, this is 100% avoidable.

How to prevent noise-induced hearing loss from gaming

Now, recommending stopping gaming altogether isn’t feasible nor what we would advise. However, there are three key tips that can help protect your hearing while gaming:

1. Apply the 60/60 rule: Keep the volume at 60% of the maximum and limit your exposure to 60 minutes per day, ideally keeping the volume below 85 dB.
2. Take breaks: Every hour, take a 15-20 minute break to give your ears a rest, even if you’re a pro gamer.
3. Invest in noise-cancelling headphones: These will allow you to block out external noise without needing to increase the volume.

Following the above tips means you’ll be able to continue gaming safely, and your ears will thank you in the long run.

GAMERS – WARNING: The Tinnitus Ringing in Your Ears is Permanent Damage

Matthew Allsop is a Partner at Harley Street Hearing and the content creator for Hearing Tracker, where he shares his honest opinions on all things to do with hearing health and hearing aid technology. Hearing Tracker is the world’s first truly independent resource for hearing aid customers. You can watch his video on the dangers of gaming, tinnitus and hearing loss below.

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Our event is currently sold out but we’d love to keep you updated in case any spaces become available. Please add your details here to join our waiting list: https://wkf.ms/41pzzsm

We’re excited to announce that the professional hearing loss network Hear Here is set to hold its next event in spring next year.

The London-based networking event encourages working professionals with hearing loss to share their experiences, as part of Harley Street Hearing’s mission to champion equal access in the workplace for the hearing loss community.

Harley Street Hearing’s Hear Here event 2025

If you’re a working professional looking to connect with like-minded peers, sharing tips and tools to thrive in the workplace with a hearing loss, this is the perfect event for you. Find out more about Hear Here 2025 below and secure your free place.

Date: Thursday 13th March 2025
Time: 6 pm – 10pm
Location: Ernst & Young, 1 More London Place, London, SE1 2AF
Price: Free

Scan the QR code below to secure your place at next year’s networking event.

More information about Hear Here

Hear Here was established in 2016 by Harley Street Hearing. It has grown into a diverse community of professionals of all ages and from all walks of life. Its main aim is to empower those with hearing loss to find solidarity and support from others who understand their unique experiences in the workplace.

The idea for Hear Here was inspired by a young patient with progressive hearing loss, who felt a sense of isolation and a lack of connection with others who shared her struggles. Hear Here provides a welcoming environment for discussions surrounding the unique challenges and accomplishments tied to hearing loss in work settings.

“Through this platform, we seek to create a more inclusive professional environment, where individuals can come together to share, learn and collectively strive for a workplace environment that embraces diversity and accessibility.

To find out more about the event, get in touch with us on 020 7486 1053

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Hearing loss is a debilitating condition that affects more than 1.5 billion people worldwide, but it can also affect much more than just our ability to hear.

When hearing loss occurs, it can set off a chain reaction that may affect other areas of our health. Hearing loss may lead to mental health problems, social isolation, increase the risk of developing dementia and also affects our balance.

If you’re experiencing hearing loss and feel like your balance and coordination aren’t what they used to be, this blog should help to explain the connection between the two and offer insights into potential treatment options available.

The connection between hearing loss and balance disorders

Whilst our sense of hearing and ability to stay upright may seem like two entirely separate functions, they are actually highly connected and many balance problems can begin in the ears.

However, it’s a highly complex process so first, we need to understand how both hearing and balance work as two separate entities.

How our hearing works

Our hearing is more than just what our ears pick up, it’s a complex process which involves various parts of the ear with the inner ear being one of the most important components.

When sound waves enter the ear, they travel through the ear canal into the eardrum. This causes vibrations which are then sent to the tiny bones in the middle ear before they reach the cochlea. The cochlea contains tiny hair cells which convert these vibrations into electrical signals and send them to the brain where they are then interpreted as sound.

How our balance works

The inner ear also has a huge role to play in our ability to balance, as this is where our vestibular system is mainly housed.

Our vestibular system is responsible for providing our brain with information about motion, head position, and spatial orientation to help us maintain our balance. It works together with our eyes and muscles to help keep us steady on our feet.

How the two are connected

So, now we know that the cochlea (responsible for hearing) and the vestibular system (responsible for balance) are both a part of our inner ear. The inner ear is only a very small space so naturally, this means that an issue in any one of them can often impact the other.

For example, if something goes wrong in our inner ear such as damage to the tiny hair cells in our cochlea this can lead to hearing loss. This damage in the cochlea can then have a knock-on effect on the vestibular system since they’re both contained in the same space. This can often result in dizziness, unsteadiness or even vertigo, making you feel like the room is spinning around you.

So, can hearing loss affect balance?

Yes, hearing loss can affect our balance. However, it’s important to note that the two don’t exist together all of the time and just because you have a hearing loss this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be unsteady on your feet.

Studies have shown that people with mild hearing loss were almost three times more likely to have a history of falling than those with normal hearing, and for every extra 10 decibels of hearing loss this probability increases by 140%.

So, why do researchers think this is? More research needs to be done, but some theories include:

• Hearing loss reduces our awareness of the environment around us, increasing our risk of tripping over and falling.
• Hearing loss places a greater cognitive load on the brain, meaning that when more mental energy is required to listen and interpret sounds we have less energy available for other tasks like maintaining balance and proper movement.
• As we’ve covered above, hearing loss can directly affect the vestibular system which is responsible for balance and spatial orientation.

Conditions that can affect hearing and balance

There are many conditions that can simultaneously impact both our hearing and balance, and the presence of these conditions can increase the risk of things such as falls, dizziness and hearing loss.

Understanding these conditions is important to recognise and address symptoms early to prevent progression. Some of the most common conditions that can affect both hearing and balance include:

1. Ageing

As we age, it’s common for our senses such as hearing and balance to decline. Age-related hearing loss often comes with gradual damage to the hair cells in the inner ear, which can affect both hearing and balance.

Along with that, our vestibular system can also deteriorate as we grow older which can lead to a greater risk of falls and balance-related issues. We are also more susceptible to developing other health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or neurological diseases that can have an impact on our coordination and balance.

2. Ménière’s Disease

Ménière’s disease is a chronic condition of the inner ear that can cause severe dizziness (vertigo), hearing loss, tinnitus, and a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear.

It isn’t yet known exactly what causes this condition but it’s thought to be related to abnormal fluid buildup in the inner ear, or it may also be caused by genetic factors or environmental triggers.

3. Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis is an inner ear disorder which happens when the labyrinth (a structure in the inner ear) is inflamed. This can often be caused by a viral or bacterial infection, or an injury, and can cause symptoms such as vertigo, headaches, tinnitus and hearing loss.

The labyrinth is responsible for balance so inflammation of this structure can disrupt the normal functioning of the vestibular system, leading to difficulties in maintaining balance and coordination.

4. Vestibular Neuronitis

Similar to labyrinthitis, vestibular neuronitis is an inflammation of the vestibular nerve, which carries balance signals from the inner ear to the brain. It usually results from a viral infection such as a cold and primarily affects balance, causing sudden and severe vertigo.

Vestibular neuronitis doesn’t usually cause hearing loss, but the intense dizziness and loss of balance can be profound.

5. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

BPPV is one of the most common causes of vertigo, especially in older adults. It happens when tiny calcium crystals in the inner ear become loose and interfere with the normal fluid movement in the ear canals.

This sends false signals to the brain about the position of your body and can result in brief spells of dizziness and vertigo, triggered by changes in head position. Whilst it doesn’t affect hearing, it can impact our ability to stay steady and balanced.

The main thing to note is that our hearing and balance systems are connected and often work together, so if any of these systems aren’t working properly it can lead to a variety of potential problems which can affect either our hearing, our balance, or both.

Can hearing aids help with balance?

For those with hearing-related balance problems, hearing aids can be a great solution to help maintain balance and alleviate symptoms of vertigo or other balance-related issues.

In the same way that hearing aids can’t cure hearing loss, they also can’t cure balance problems but a 2023 study showed consistent use of hearing aids was associated with a lower risk of falls in older adults.

So, how can hearing aids help with balance problems?

1. Improved spatial awareness

Hearing aids work by amplifying the sounds around us so when we can hear better, we can usually process sounds more accurately. Whether it’s being able to hear the sound of traffic around us or footsteps approaching, this leads to better spatial awareness which allows us to orient ourselves more effectively.

With an improved spatial awareness, we can navigate our environment more easily and safely, naturally reducing the risk of falling or tripping over.

2. Reduced cognitive load

Hearing loss forces the brain to work harder to interpret sounds which causes a greater cognitive load. This can take away from the brain’s ability to focus on other tasks like coordination and balance.

Hearing aids can help to reduce this cognitive load by making sounds clearer and easier to process, freeing up resources that can help to maintain balance and improve overall coordination.

3. Vestibular support

Hearing aids can be especially useful for those with sensorineural hearing loss (resulting from damage to the hair cells within the inner ear) and balance issues because they can help to stabilise the overall function of the ear.

Whilst hearing aids don’t directly correct problems with the vestibular system they help to improve hearing which can promote better balance.

4. Improved confidence and mobility

Hearing loss can often bring with it a lack of confidence, particularly in those who may have experienced an increase in falls due to their balance being off. However, the use of hearing aids can make users feel more confident in their mobility and ability to move around, reducing the fear of falling and leading to more natural and steady movements.

Of course, hearing aids are individual to everyone and whilst they may be beneficial for balance in some cases they may not necessarily be the right cure for you. If you’re experiencing balance issues, it’s important to get an assessment from an audiologist or ENT specialist.

Harley Street Hearing’s highly trained clinical audiologists offer comprehensive balance diagnostic services. We’re highly experienced in working with various balance disorders and can advise on suitable rehabilitation plans. If hearing aids are the right choice for you, we can offer an extensive range from all leading hearing aid manufacturers.

To book an appointment with us, fill in the contact form on this page or call us on 020 7486 1053.

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