As a general rule, people don’t like change. Experienced through that prism, hearing aids can be a double-edged sword: they open up an amazing new world of sounds for you, but they also represent a considerable transformation of your life. That degree of change can be challenging, especially if you’re somebody that has come to embrace the quiet comfort of your day-to-day routine. There are very specific hurdles with new hearing aids. But understanding how to adjust to these devices can help make sure your new hearing aids will be a change you will welcome.
Guidelines to Help You Adapt More Quickly to Your Hearing Aids
Your hearing will be significantly enhanced whether you are getting your first hearing aids or upgrading to a more powerful model. That could be quite a challenge depending on your circumstances. But your transition might be a little bit smoother if you follow these tips.
Begin Wearing Your Hearing Aids in Smaller Doses
The more you use your hearing aids, as a basic rule, the healthier your ears will be. But it can be a little uncomfortable when you’re getting used to them if you wear them for 18 hours a day. You could try to build up your endurance by starting with 8 hours and increasing from there.
Pay Attention to Conversations For Practice
When your brain is first able to hear sound again it will likely need a transition period. You could have a hard time hearing speech with clarity or following conversations during this adjustment period. But practicing with listening or reading exercises (such as reading along to an audiobook) can allow the language-hearing-and-interpreting portion of your brain wake back up.
Get a Fitting For Your Hearing Aids
One of the initial things you’ll do – even before you receive your final hearing aids – is go through a fitting process. Increasing comfort, taking account of the size and shape of your ear canal, and adjusting for your personal hearing loss are all things that a fitting can help with. You might need to have more than one adjustment. It’s essential to consult us for follow-up appointments and to be serious about these fittings. Your hearing aids will sound better and will sit more comfortably if they fit properly. Adjustments to different environments can also be made by us.
Troubleshoot
Sometimes adjusting to a new hearing aid is somewhat difficult because something’s not working quite right. Possibly you hear too much feedback (which can be uncomfortable). Or the hearing aid keeps cutting out (which can be frustrating). It can be overwhelming to adapt to hearing aids because of these kinds of problems, so it’s best to find solutions as soon as you can. Try these guidelines:
- Charge your hearing aids every night or exchange the batteries. When the batteries on your hearing aids begin to decline, they normally do not perform as effectively as they’re meant to.
- If you hear a lot of feedback, make sure that your hearing aids are correctly sitting in your ears (it could be that your fit is just a little off) and that there aren’t any blockages (earwax for instance).
- Talk over any buzzing or ringing with your hearing expert. Sometimes, your cell phone will cause interference with your hearing aid. In other cases, it could be that we need to make some adjustments.
- Ask your hearing expert to be certain that the hearing aids are correctly calibrated to your hearing loss.
Adapting to Your New Hearing Aids Has Its Benefits
Just as it could with a new pair of glasses, it may take you a bit of time to adapt to your new hearing aids. We hope you will have a smoother and faster transition with these guidelines. But you will be surprised how simple it will become if you stick with it and find a routine. And once that occurs, you’ll be able to devote your attention to the things you’re actually hearing: 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.