People typically don’t like change. Taking this into consideration, there can be a double edged sword with hearing aids: they create an amazing new world of sounds for you, but they also represent a substantial modification of your life. That level of change can be a challenge, particularly if you’re somebody that enjoys the quiet convenience of your day-to-day routine. There are very particular challenges with new hearing aids. But making this change a positive one is mostly about learning how to adjust to these devices.
Tips to Help You Adapt More Quickly to Your Hearing Aids
Your hearing will be dramatically enhanced whether you are getting your first hearing aids or upgrading to a more powerful design. That could be quite a challenge depending on your situation. Utilizing these guidelines may make your transition a little more comfortable.
When You First Get Your Hearing Aids Only Use Them Intermittently
The more you wear your hearing aids, as a general rule, the healthier your ears will stay. But if you’re breaking in your very first pair, using your hearing aids for 18 hours a day can be somewhat uncomfortable. You may try to build up your stamina by starting with 8 hours and increasing from there.
Practice Listening to Conversations
When your brain is first able to hear sound again it will likely need a transition period. You might have a tough time hearing speech clearly or following conversations during this adjustment time. But if you want to reset the hearing-language-and-interpreting part of your brain, you can try practicing exercises such as following along with an audiobook.
Spend The Time to Get a Hearing Aid Fitting
One of the initial things you’ll do – even before you receive your final hearing aids – is go through a fitting process. Maximizing comfort, taking account of the shape and size of your ear canal, and adjusting for your individual hearing loss are all things that a fitting helps with. Several adjustments could be required. It’s imperative to take these fittings seriously – and to see us for follow-up appointments. Your hearing aids will sound better and will sit more comfortably if they fit properly. Adjustments to various environments can also be made by us.
Troubleshoot
Sometimes adapting to a new hearing aid is somewhat difficult because something’s not working properly. If there’s too much feedback that can be painful. It can also be infuriating when the hearing aid keeps cutting out. These kinds of problems can make it overwhelming to adjust to your hearing aids, so it’s best to find solutions as soon as you can. Try these tips:
- If you hear a lot of feedback, ensure that your hearing aids are properly seated in your ears (it might be that your fit is just a little off) and that there are no blockages (earwax for instance).
- talk about any buzzing or ringing with your hearing expert. Sometimes, your cell phone will cause interference with your hearing aid. In other cases, it may be that we have to make some adjustments.
- Ask your hearing expert to double check that the hearing aids are properly calibrated to your hearing loss.
- Charge your hearing aids every evening or replace the batteries. When the batteries on your hearing aids begin to decline, they often do not perform as efficiently as they’re meant to.
Adapting to Your New Hearing Aids Has Its Benefits
It might take a little time to adjust to your new hearing aids just as it would with a new pair of glasses. We hope, with the help of these suggestions, that adjustment period will go somewhat more smoothly (and quickly). But if you persevere – if you put yourself into a regimen with your hearing aids and really invest in adjusting to them – you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how it all becomes second-nature. But pretty soon you will be able to put your attention on what your listening to: like the day-to-day discussion you’ve been missing or your favorite tunes. These sounds will remind you that all those adjustments are worth it in the end. And sometimes change is not a bad thing.