So you don’t wear your hearing aids all that often? Most of the time you keep them in the drawer unless you’re, for example, going to the theater or to a party. Do you actually need to use them more often than that?
Over time, you make problems for yourself if you’re not wearing your hearing aids on a regular basis and that’s a problem. You could permanently harm your hearing. Cognitive decline and social isolation could be the outcome. You may compromise your overall health. This article will help you comprehend why you should be using your hearing aids.
Why Are Your Hearing Aids Not in
If your hearing aids are stored in a nightstand drawer somewhere, you most likely have a reason. You might have decided to keep those reasons to yourself. Maybe you brush off the questions from your family when they ask why you don’t wear them.
Stilted dialogue to the side, we know that’s not the complete story, right? Usually, there’s an exact reason why you’re not using your hearing aids. Specific complaints are positive because they create the possibility to find an equally specific remedy.
Some of the most common grievances consist of the following;
“My Hearing Aids Don’t Feel Comfortable”
One of the most frequently reported reasons that individuals stop using their hearing aids frequently is discomfort. Perhaps the hearing aid keeps falling out of your ear. Or maybe your over-the-ear model irritates just the wrong spot, causing pain and tenderness.
Hearing aids aren’t supposed to be unpleasant, so something is definitely wrong if they are creating any sort of irritation. And frustration, pain and soreness are not things you would want from any piece of technology.
Possible solution: If your hearing aids are uncomfortable, a follow-up fitting appointment is something you should think about. It’s quite feasible that the fit of your hearing aid simply requires a couple of quick alterations. The shape and size of your ear can even be the basis of an entire customization of some designs. You will be capable of leaving your hearing aid in longer if it fits properly and is comfortable.
I’m Experiencing Poor Quality Sound From my Hearing Aids
Maybe you find the sound of your hearing aid to be too fuzzy or tinny so you don’t use them very often. If that’s the circumstance, it’s not surprising that you’ve decided to store your hearing aids in your nightstand drawer and save them for “special occasions”.”
This fuzzy or tinny sound can happen because hearing aids are carrying out complex auditory functions all the time, filtering out some sounds while trying to amplify others. So the sound quality might seem hard to rely on if your settings aren’t properly tweaked.
Solution: There are two potential solutions to this issue: upkeep and calibration. Your hearing aids may be damaged in some form or another and need to be
repaired. But it’s also possible that they just need a simple calibration (usually this is something your hearing specialist can do for you).
When I Wear my Hearing Aid Voices Are Muffled
When you listen to people talk, you want to be able to hear them with clarity. That’s the entire reason you bought hearing aids in the first place! You didn’t want to miss out on one word. So if all the voices you hear are difficult to understand and sound muffled it may be a little bit annoying.
This generally occurs when you first get your hearing aids because your ears and brain aren’t necessarily used to communicating very well anymore (it’s as if they had a falling out or something).
The Solution: Keep practicing. Your brain will have to get used to hearing language again, so whatever you can do to help provide some repetition will help. Try reading along with an audiobook or reading along with the closed captioning while you watch NCIS. Another way to get some positive practice is simply by having conversations with people you come in contact with.
Finding Solutions
The point is regardless of what your reason for not wearing your hearing aids might, there is a solution somewhere. And it is vital, both for the health of your hearing and your cognitive well-being, that you wear your hearing aids routinely.
So if you’re not wearing your hearing aids? After pinpointing the problem, find a solution, so you can make your hearing aids, and all that they help you hear, part of your daily life. If you suspect your hearing aids require adjustment, consult your hearing care professional right away.