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Stop Snoring Week Solution for Partners

Sleeping earplugs
Sleeping earplugs

National Stop Snoring Week

Do you have a partner whose snoring interrupts a peaceful night’s sleep? 

Did you know 44% of men and 28% of women snore every night so it’s a common problem, you’re not a lone sufferer! 

You’re more likely to snore if you sleep on your back, are pregnant or going through the menopause.

Anyone of any size or age can snore, it occurs as your throat muscles and tongue relax while you’re sleeping.

Sleeping with a snorer can raise your blood pressure and is known to affect a couple’s sex life and overall marital satisfaction.

There’s no need to resort to going into another room or being constantly tired as your sleep is broken throughout the night.  We can help! 

Our custom-made sleep plugs are made to accommodate any movement of the ear while you sleep as they are a perfect fit to your ear. They will block out the sound so you will be totally oblivious to the noise of the snoring. 

We take an impression of your ear and we’ll have you sleeping through the night in no time. Just set your alarm to vibrate.

Call today for an appointment. Custom-made sleep plugs are £99.

New Swiss Cottage Clinic

prime health
prime health

Swiss Cottage Hearing Clinic

We are delighted to be partnered with Prime Health Partners, (London’s most accessible private medical practice) providing our Harley Street Hearing services for residents of Belsize Park and surrounding areas.

Our new clinic provides hearing testing, and should you have a hearing loss, new state-of-the-art hearing aids. For those who already have hearing aids, we offer a clean and repair service. 

You can also come in for a free 30 day Lyric hearing aid trial – Lyric is the only truly invisible hearing aid which is available on a subscription basis

For instant ear wax removal our clinical audiologists carry out precision accuracy microsuction using high-spec examination microscopes.

Additionally we take unique ear impressions to create your own bespoke hearing protection.  These earplugs are individually crafted to fit the precise size and shape of your ear.  Custom-made hearing protection is available for Musician’s or Concert Goers, In-ear Monitors Swimming, Sleeping, Leisure Shooting, Phone Earbuds, Motorbike Riders, TV Presenters, or Noisy Working Conditions.

So whether you’re one of our current patients, who find the new Swiss Cottage location more convenient; or a new patient interested in exploring what our hearing services can do for you, call 020 7486 1053 now.

One of our highly qualified Clinical Audiologists, will be pleased to help you.

Swiss Cottage Hearing Clinic address

Prime Health Partners, 27-29 Winchester Road, Belsize Park, London, NW3 3NR

World Health Day Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline

world health day
world health day

Hearing loss and cognitive decline

It’s time we focussed on our hearing health. 

On average those with a hearing loss wait 10 years before going for a hearing test, but can you really afford to wait that long?

It’s best to lead a fully active and inclusive life, hearing everyone and everything around you ‘way’ before we consider cognitive decline.  BUT if you have any hearing concerns prevention is always best.

As we age, connections between cells in the brain are damaged, or some cells are lost—this is called “brain atrophy” or “cognitive decline.”

Early diagnosis and treatment of cognitive decline and hearing loss are key to preserving our quality of life as we grow older. 

On average those with a hearing loss wait 10 years before getting help. But during that time, communication with loved ones will have become more difficult, and social isolation and health risks increase.

Hearing loss isolates you from everyone around you. Someone with a hearing loss will sit silently rather than joining in conversations, as they feel helpless and exhausted from trying to listen. Social isolation is a key contributing factor for dementia.

What is social isolation?

This is loneliness that can affect health. People who are socially isolated have little day-to-day contact with others, have few fulfilling relationships and lack a sense of belonging. Social isolation can increase the risk for poor eating, smoking, alcohol use, lack of exercise, depression, dementia, poor sleep and heart disease.

Can hearing aids help with cognitive decline?

Your hearing deteriorates very slowly over a long period of time so the earlier you seek treatment the better.  If you have a hearing loss and wear hearing aids, this will keep you connected with others, helps your brain stay younger and keep you involved in life.

Can hearing aids help with further cognitive decline?

Wearing hearing aids sooner and more regularly improves those affected by Alzheimers and dementia’s quality of life, makes communication easier and helps avoid social isolation, and may help slow further cognitive decline.

Dementia risk for those with a hearing loss

  • Mild hearing loss – your risk is doubled
  • Moderate hearing loss – your risk is tripled
  • Severe hearing loss – you are five times more likely to develop dementia

Don’t assume your loved one is suffering from dementia if they’re having trouble understanding speech, or finding it exhausting to have simple conversations. Hearing loss has some of the same symptoms as cognitive impairment, so it’s vital to have regular hearing checks.

Don’t wait 10 years!  If you have noticed a loved one may have a hearing loss (or maybe you have), don’t leave it any longer – call 020 7486 1053.  One of our highly qualified Clinical Audiologists will be delighted to see you and your loved one for a hearing consultation.

Harley Street Hearing are London’s leading independent hearing clinic – established in Harley Street for 25 Years. 

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Mens Hearing for Mens Health Week

Mens Hearing Health
Mens Hearing Health

For Men’s Health Week we’re focusing on hearing issues.

Mens Hearing Health

Men are five and a half times more likely to lose their hearing than women. They are also less likely than women to seek help or to talk about their hearing loss.

This may be due to certain health factors, men have higher instances of heart disease and diabetes which can contribute to hearing loss.

Men tend to work in jobs that have louder working environments and are known to damage your hearing.  Construction, factory and military jobs are mostly male-dominated occupations, they are also some of the loudest. 

Hobbies can also contribute with men enjoying the use of motorbikes, workshops or shooting pastimes.

Harmful Noise Levels

Long-term exposure to some loud sounds can cause permanent damage after just 8 hours, the equivalent of one workday.

Sound is measured in decibels, the sound of a rustling leaf registers at a 0 dB level and heavy city traffic registers at 85 dB.

At 85 dB or higher, permanent hearing damage can occur. Here are just a few examples of harmful sounds you may experience on a daily basis:

  • 90dB – Lawn Mower

  • 93dB Belt Sander

  • 105dB Bulldozer

  • 110dB Chainsaw

  • 140dB Airplane taking off

Hearing loss

For men’s hearing health look out out for the following, if you have a hearing loss you may experience any or all of the following:

  • Difficulty in understanding everyday conversation
  • A feeling of being able to hear but not understand
  • Having to turn up the TV or radio
  • Asking others to repeat themselves
  • Avoidance of social situations
  • Feeling exhausted after a day of listening to other people
  • Increased difficulty communicating in noisy situation like restaurants, family gatherings, in the car or group meetings
  • Tinnitus or ringing and/or buzzing sounds in the ear

Hearing loss prevention

How can you protect yourself against hearing loss?

Stay away from excessive noise. If you have to shout over a sound, it is too loud. You can take steps to properly protect your ears either in the workplace or in leisure activities with custom hearing protection

Limit the time you spend around loud sounds. Sometimes you can’t avoid being in a noisy place, but don’t spend any more time there than you really need to.

Hearing is a precious gift so if you feel you’d benefit from having a hearing test or would like custom made hearing protection please call 020 7486 1053.  One of our highly skilled audiologists will be delighted to see you.

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Hearing Guy Matthew Allsop’s Youtube channel

Hearing Guy Matthew Allsop
Hearing Guy Matthew Allsop

Harley Street Hearing’s Director Matthew Allsop produces a weekly video on his “Hearing Guy” Youtube channel.

Hearing Guy

Join the 500+ subscribers for your weekly video update now click here.

“Every day I’m asked a wide range of questions about hearing aids and hearing aid technology by my patients in the practice.  I figured that if there are people sat in front of me asking these questions, then there must be another thousand sat at home wondering the same thing.”

Hearing aid reviews

The Hearing Guy’s videos range from reviews on new hearing aids coming out or already available in the UK.

Hearing aid myths

Honest opinions on myths and a plethora of other topics from one of the UK’s leading audiologists.

Losing the Sound of Metal – hearing loss Telegraph interview

the telegraph
sound of metal telegraph image

Drummer  learns to live with his hearing loss

In Oscar-nominated film Sound of Metal, Riz Ahmed plays a rocker who loses his hearing. Sadly, the story is a reality for too many musicians.

Unsurprisingly, recent data says musicians are among the most likely people to have a hearing problem. “Research has shown that between 37-58 per cent of classical musicians, and 46-49 per cent of rock or pop musicians have found to have hearing impairments, with the general population coming in at around 13 per cent,” says Paul Checkley, Clinical Director at Harley Street Hearing & Musicians’ Hearing Services.

Noise exposure

“The music industry is somewhat behind when making a comparison to the management of noise exposure in the industrial and construction sectors. The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on building sites is enforceable, meaning that without use of the appropriate hearing protection, you could be removed from site. This is not the case in the music industry, despite the levels of noise being comparable at times.”

Although Paul points out that the increase in headphone use blurs the line somewhat between damage done by listening to music on your phone and being bombarded by decibels at a gig, the number of stars who have damaged their hearing while on the job is nevertheless long.

tinnitus

It’s not just tinnitus that can affect a person’s mental health. Paul Checkley also lists hyperacusis (where everyday sounds seem much louder than they should) and diplacusis (where the same sound can be perceived as being different in pitch between the two ears) as potential hearing problems that can cause a person problems beyond their ears. “These symptoms, along with the hearing loss, can affect a person’s confidence, and does often impact their mental health,” he says.

hearing loss

“The presence of a hearing loss alone can also cause people to isolate because they are embarrassed about not hearing well, which then has further effect on their mental health. Managing the hearing loss can help to reverse the isolation, allowing the person to become more confident with their interactions and therefore improve their well-being.”

In the UK, the Musicians Union offer a Musicians’ Hearing Health Scheme, which offers free check-ups and professional earplugs, as well as subsidised treatments like wax removal. And although treatment like the one that worked for Brian Johnson after the fact is good, all audiologists will tell you that protection is the best cure.

hearing aids

“Don’t wait for there to be a problem with your hearing; be proactive,” says Paul Checkley. “Having annual hearing tests will allow your hearing to be monitored and means that it will be much easier to pinpoint any potential changes and manage them quickly and efficiently. There are patients who have significant hearing losses who initially thought they might have to stop playing music, but through careful use of hearing aids with specific settings for their musical endeavours, and the understanding that there are adaptations that might be required, many are able to continue playing and performing music.”

Click here see the full Telegraph interview.

If you have any hearing concerns call 020 7486 1053 

Sound Of Metal movie – Kerrang tinnitus interview

sound of metal telegraph image
sound of metal telegraph image

Sound of Metal

New movie Sound Of Metal explores the tragic consequences of a musician going deaf. Paul Checkley Clinical Director at Harley Street Hearing speaks to  Kerrang! on how tinnitus is affecting the lives of music fans…

Tinnitus

Tinnitus, or as most people know it, a high-pitched ringing you get in your ears, can be intermittent for some people, but for others it’s a chronic condition. It’s also irreversible.

“People say, ‘I came out of a gig and my ears were ringing’ without understanding that isn’t something to just joke about,” says Paul Checkley, Clinical Director at Harley Street Hearing, an audiological practice in London. “It means that potentially your hearing has been damaged irreversibly… There is no cure for tinnitus as such, which is one of the biggest issues that people face: you get this ringing in your ears and are then told that you’re going to have that for the rest of your life.”

“A lot of the damage to people’s hearing appears to be done by leisure activities,” explains Nic Wray of the British Tinnitus Association, who are being approached by more and more people asking for help. “If you go to a building site or a factory, everyone’s got ear protection, but there’s not as much awareness for people going to live events. Venue staff are protected by health and safety legislation, but the musicians aren’t covered onstage because they’re not employees and it’s the same for the audience.”

Because tinnitus has no cure, only treatment, both Paul and Nic recommend wearing earplugs. Harley Street Hearing fits both heavy gig-goers and musicians with custom-moulded, “flat response” plugs, while BTA’s Plug’em initiative contains a guide to the different types of ear protection available.  

For those who already suffer from tinnitus and need help managing it, Paul explains that the hearing problem has “a psychological aspect and a physiological aspect”, and that more is known about the former. “What we do know is that there’s a link between the emotional part of our brain the perpetuation of the tinnitus, so the treatments are centred around rehabilitation and therapy,” he explains. “Things like cognitive behavioural therapy have a really good research base. Mindfulness or meditation is beginning to have an equally strong research base and works really well, too.”

“If you’ve got tinnitus, we would normally do a hearing test to allow us to assess it,” says Paul. “We have criteria that say we’ve got to send you to get a medical opinion if it’s particularly troublesome for you. In those cases, your GP is your best place to start.”

See the full Kerrang interview here

Hearing aids delay dementia

old man with hearing aid
old man with hearing aid

Hearing aids and dementia

The onset of dementia in people with a hearing loss could be delayed by up to 5 years if hearing aids are worn.

A recent study was carried out of 2,114 patients over the age of 50 with a hearing impairment.  They found a third who wore hearing aids had not developed dementia five years after their mild cognitive impairment, or MCI* diagnosis.

This figure was only a fifth for those who did not wear hearing aids.

The experts said their findings were an ‘important first step’ to encourage those, with a hearing loss at risk of dementia, to wear hearing aids.

Interestingly the use of hearing aids was linked with a two-year slower conversion to dementia which would have substantial economic and societal effects.

Take the first step

If you or a family member would like to come into our COVID secure clinic for a hearing consultation call us now on 020 7486 1053.

* MCI affects 5–20% of people over the age of 65.  It manifests as problems with memory and thinking that do not interfere significantly with daily life.Individuals diagnosed with MCI are more likely to go on to develop dementia later in life.

Full findings of the study 

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Remotecare hearing appointments

care consultation over the phone
care consultation over the phone

Remotecare

Ask your audiologist about online hearingcare

What is remote hearingcare?

Online Hearingcare lets you remotely access some of our services without the need for travelling to see us.  This exciting new technology allows real-time adjustment to some of the parameters in your hearing aids in the comfort of your own home.  You also have the opportunity to discuss any concerns that you may have and ask questions.

Online appointments can be helpful for those who have just been fitted with new hearing aids, to make quick adjustments.  We can tweak the settings without traveling to in-clinic appointments, useful in a time when travelling is discouraged by the government.

remote care call

How can I arrange an online appointment with an audiologist?

Arranging an online appointment is easy. Simply call us on 020 7486 1053 or email us below and we will do the rest.  All you need is a smartphone.  Your audiologist will contact you at the pre-arranged time and talk you through some simple steps to connect.  Remember you do need a mobile phone that connect wirelessly to your hearing aids, we will be happy to advise you if you are not sure.

Does remote hearingcare replace face-to-face appointments?

No, the online appointments work alongside your face-to-face appointments and can be used during periods when you are unable or prefer not to travel, such as during the recent national lockdowns.

remote hearing care

Tinnitus and Covid research

headache
headache

Research

New research has found that 40% of those displaying symptoms of Covid-19 simultaneously experience a worsening of their tinnitus.  Also tinnitus could be a “long Covid symptom”.

Tinnitus affects an estimated one in eight adults in the UK and is associated with reduced emotional wellbeing, depression, and anxiety.

Internal worries such as fear of catching COVID-19, financial concerns, loneliness and trouble sleeping have contributed to making tinnitus more bothersome for 32% of people overall, with external factors such as increased video calls, noisier home environments, home schooling and increased coffee and alcohol consumption also cited by respondents.

Females and the under-50’s found tinnitus significantly more bothersome during the pandemic.

The study noted that as well as increasing the severity of tinnitus symptoms, the COVID-19 pandemic has also made it more difficult for people to access healthcare support for the condition. This could further increase emotional distress and worsen tinnitus symptoms, creating a vicious cycle.

David Stockdale, Chief Executive of the British Tinnitus Association said: “With the second wave of Covid-19 and the resulting national lockdown likely to increase feelings of stress and isolation, it’s vital that we don’t see the same mistakes as before when it comes to community health provision for people with tinnitus”.

“Poor treatment of tinnitus in the early stages often leads to much worse cases and severe tinnitus can have a huge impact on mental health.”

Harley Street Hearing are an essential service so we are open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.

Call 020 7486 1053 to see one of our highly qualified Hearing Therapists. 

At your consultation we will help you to understand your tinnitus, discuss coping strategies, test your hearing, and suggest a package of tinnitus therapy created for your individual requirements and lifestyle needs.

For full details of the report click here