You’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. You received your new hearing aids. You’re so excited to be able to dive into your social life again. Now, you won’t be missing parts of conversations or going through awkward transitions. But there’s an issue: everything sounds a little bit off.
The reason for this is that it will usually take a bit of time before you adjust to your new hearing aids. This can be an annoying transition. You were so looking forward to enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s taking so long.
Fortunately, there are some tips that can help accelerate the transition process. With a little practice, you can quickly get yourself to a place where you’re paying less attention to hearing aids, and tuning in to what you’re hearing.
Tips that help you start Slowly
No matter how technologically advanced they might be, it’s going to take your brain some time to adjust to hearing certain sounds again. Use these tips to start slowly and purposely give your ears time to adjust.:
- At first, try to focus on one-on-one conversations: You might be setting yourself up for frustration if you use your hearing aids in a crowded setting on the first day. When the brain has to focus on all those voices, it can become overwhelmed at first. Sticking to one-on-one conversations can help make that transition easier (and give you a little extra practice, as well).
- Use your hearing aids for a short period of time: A few hours at a time is the most you should use your hearing aids when you first start out. Your hearing aids will most likely feel a little strange in your ears for a while so beginning slowly is okay. You can begin to wear your hearing aids for longer periods as you become accustomed to them.
- Wear your hearing aids only around the house at first: When you’re at home, you have a lot more control over what you’re hearing, and you’ll likely experience significantly less noise pollution. This will help you concentrate on individual voices.
Tips that help you get added practice in
There are some things you can do, as with any skill, that can help you with hearing aid practice. Some of these are even fun!
- Do some listening practice: That’s right: Sit somewhere a little quiet and take in the sounds around you. Start off by focusing on the sound of wind blowing through the trees or birds chirping or nearby running water.
- Read along with the printed book while you listen to the audiobook.: This similar exercise can also be very enjoyable. Reading and listening to an audiobook together will help your brain make connections between words and sound.
- Watch TV with the closed-captions enabled: It’s easy: Turn on the TV, put your hearing aids in, and enjoy. Your brain will begin remembering what certain words sound like as you read along with the voices you’re hearing. This can give you some practice hearing and adjusting to speech.
Tips to keep your hearing health strong
Keeping your ears as healthy as you can, after all, is one of the principal purposes of hearing aids. But, as you take some time to get accustomed to your new hearing aids, there are a few things you can do that your ears will thank you for.:
- Keep visiting us: There might be a temptation to believe that once you have the right hearing aids, you won’t need to have anymore hearing exams. This would be a bad idea. We can continue to track your hearing, make sure the fit is comfortable, and make any required adjustments. It’s essential to continue with these follow up appointments.
- If you’re experiencing any pain, make sure you take note of it and tell us about it.: Because it shouldn’t be painful to wear hearing aids. So if you’re noticing any pain or something’s not fitting right, it’s important to let us know as soon as possible.
Go slow and increase your time as you get used to your hearing aids
Working your way up to using your hearing aids full time is the objective here. A slow and steadfast strategy works quite often, but everyone’s unique. You’ll want to get personalized advice from us on the best way for you to get used to your new hearing aid.
Sticking with these tips (and tips like them) can help make sure that you enjoy having your hearing aids and that you keep wearing them because they continue to improve your life.