People typically don’t like change. Taking this into account, there can be a double edged sword regarding hearing aids: your life will undergo a tremendous change but they also will bring exciting new opportunities. That amount of change can be a challenge, particularly if you’re the type of person that enjoys the placid comfort of your every 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.
Guidelines to Help You Adapt More Quickly to Your Hearing Aids
Whether it’s your first pair of hearing aids (congrats!) or an improvement to a more powerful set, any new hearing aid is going to be a significant enhancement in how you hear. Dependant on your individual situation, that could represent a big adjustment. Utilizing these tips might make your transition a little more comfortable.
Start Wearing Your Hearing Aids in Smaller Doses
The more you use your hearing aids, as a general rule, the healthier your ears will stay. But it can be a little uncomfortable when you’re breaking them in if you use them for 18 hours a day. You may try to build up your endurance by starting with 8 hours and building up from there.
Pay Attention to Conversations For Practice
When your brain first begins to hear sound again it will likely need a transition period. You might have a hard time hearing speech with clarity or following conversations during this adjustment period. But if you want to reset the hearing-language-and-interpreting portion of your brain, you can try doing exercises such as following along with an audiobook.
Take The Time to Get a Hearing Aid Fitting
Even before you get your final hearing aid, one of the first things you will do – is go through a fitting process. The fitting process helps adjust the device to your individual loss of hearing, differences in the size and shape of your ear canal, and help maximize comfort. Several adjustments may be needed. It’s imperative to take these fittings seriously – and to consult us for follow-up appointments. Your device will sound better and will sit more comfortably if they fit properly. We can also assist you in making adjustments to various hearing conditions.
Troubleshoot
Sometimes adjusting to a new hearing aid is a bit difficult because something’s not working quite right. Maybe you hear too much feedback (which can be painful). Or the hearing aid keeps falling out (which can be frustrating). It can be difficult to adapt to hearing aids because of these kinds of issues, so it’s a good idea to find solutions as soon as you can. Try these guidelines:
- Consult your hearing specialist to double check that the hearing aids are properly calibrated to your hearing loss.
- If you hear a lot of feedback, make sure that your hearing aids are properly sitting in your ears (it might be that your fit is just a bit off) and that there aren’t any obstructions (such as excess earwax).
- Charge your hearing aids every day or exchange the batteries. When the batteries on your hearing aids begin to wane, they normally don’t work as effectively as they’re meant to.
- Discuss any buzzing or ringing with your hearing specialist. Occasionally, your cell phone will cause interference with your hearing aid. In other cases, it could be that we need to make some adjustments.
The Rewards of Adapting to Your New Hearing Aids
It might take a little time to adapt to your new hearing aids just like it would with a new pair of glasses. Hopefully, you will have a smoother and faster transition with these tips. But you will be pleased by how normal it will become if you stick with it and get into a routine. And once that takes place, you’ll be capable of devoting your attention to the things you’re actually hearing: like your favorite shows or music or the day-to-day discussions you’ve been missing. These sounds will remind you that all those adjustments are worth it in the end. And change is good.