Tanya is sitting with her hearing specialist, being fitted for her very first set of hearing aids. And she’s feeling a little anxious. Not, you know, a ton of anxiety. But she’s never used hearing aids before, and she’s a little concerned that she will be uncomfortable with a high tech gizmo sitting in her ear canal, particularly since she’s never been a huge fan of earplugs or earbuds.
These concerns are not unique to Tanya. Fit and overall comfort are concerns for many new hearing aid users. Tanya wants to wear her hearing aid. She’s anticipating hearing her son’s music and listening to her TV at a level not likely to cause trouble with the neighbors. But how comfortable will those hearing aids be?
How to Adjust When You First Wear Your Hearing Aids
So, are hearing aids uncomfortable? The short answer is: some individuals experience them as a little bit uncomfortable when they first wear them. Initial levels of comfort will vary because, like many things in life, there’s a period of adjustment. But you will become more comfortable in time as you get accustomed to your hearing aids.
At times it’s just nice to realize that these adjustments are will happen. Knowing what you should expect will help your adjustment period be easier.
Adapting to your hearing aid has two parts:
In order to better your general comfort and hasten the adjustment period, talk to your hearing specialist if you are experiencing trouble with the physical positioning or sound quality of your hearing aids.
How Can I Enhance The Comfort of My Hearing Aids?
Thankfully, there are a few techniques that have proven to be fairly successful over the years.
- Get the right fit: Hearing aids are made to fit your ears properly. You’ll definitely want to discuss your fit with your hearing specialist right away but you’ll also want to see your hearing specialist for follow-up fittings to be sure everything is working correctly and the fit is excellent. You might also want to consider a custom fit hearing aid for optimal effectiveness and comfort.
- Practice: Once you get your hearing aids, the world isn’t going to sound quite the same. And it may take a while for your ears to adjust, specifically when it comes to the spoken word. There are many techniques (reading along with an audiobook or watching TV with the closed captions turned on) that can help you get better at this a little more quickly.
- Start slow: If you’re breaking in your first pair of hearing aids, you shouldn’t feel as if you have to wear them all day, every day right away. You can gradually work your way up to it. Begin by wearing your hearing aid for one to four hours a day. Inevitably, you will be wearing your hearing aids all day, when you get comfortable with them.
Making Your Hearing Aids More Comfortable
Your hearing aids may feel a little uncomfortable for the first few days or weeks. Before long you’re hearing aids will be a comfortable part of your daily life and the sooner you make the adjustments, the sooner this will occur. Wearing them on a daily basis is critical to make that transition happen.
Before you know it, you’ll be focusing on is having good conversation with friends.