Group of women practicing using their new hearing aids during lunch.

As a basic rule, most people don’t like change. Experienced through that prism, hearing aids can represent a double-edged sword: your life will experience a huge change but they also will bring exciting new opportunities. If your a person who likes a very fixed routine, the change can be overwhelming. New hearing aids can introduce some particular difficulties. But understanding how to adjust to these devices can help make sure your new hearing aids will be a change you will welcome.

Here Are Some Quick Ways to Adjust to Your New Hearing Aids

Your hearing will be dramatically enhanced whether you are getting your first hearing aids or upgrading to a more powerful model. That could be challenging depending on your circumstances. Utilizing these guidelines may make your transition a bit more comfortable.

Start Using Your Hearing Aids in Smaller Doses

The more you use your hearing aids, as a basic rule, the healthier your ears will stay. But it can be a little uncomfortable when your getting used to them if you use them for 18 hours a day. You could begin by trying to wear your hearing aids for 8 hours intervals, and then gradually build up your endurance.

Practice Tuning in to Conversations

When your brain first begins to hear sound again it will likely need a transition period. During this transition period, it may be tough to follow conversations or make out speech clearly. But if you want to reset the hearing-language-and-interpreting portion of your brain, you can try doing techniques such as following along with an audiobook.

Have Your Hearing Aids Fitted

Even before you get your final hearing aid, one of the first things you will have to do – is go through a fitting process. Improving comfort, taking account of the shape and size of your ear canal, and adjusting for your personal hearing loss are all things that a fitting can help with. You could need to have more than one adjustment. It’s important to take these fittings seriously – and to see us for follow-up appointments. When your hearing aids fit properly, your devices will sit more comfortably and sound more natural. Adjustments to various environments can also be done by us.

Troubleshoot

Sometimes adapting to a new hearing aid is a little difficult because something’s not functioning quite right. Maybe you hear too much feedback (which can be uncomfortable). Or perhaps the hearing aid keeps falling out (which can be frustrating). These kinds of problems can make it overwhelming to adjust to your hearing aids, so it’s a good idea to find solutions as soon as possible. Try these tips:

  • If you hear a lot of feedback, ensure that your hearing aids are properly seated in your ears (it might be that your fit is just a little off) and that there aren’t any blockages (earwax for instance).
  • talk about any buzzing or ringing with your hearing expert. Sometimes, your cell phone will cause interference with your hearing aid. In other situations, it could be that we need to make some adjustments.
  • Charge your hearing aids every day or replace the batteries. When the batteries on your hearing aids begin to wane, they often don’t perform as efficiently as they’re meant to.
  • Consult your hearing professional to double check that the hearing aids are properly calibrated to your hearing loss.

Adjusting to Your New Hearing Aids Has Its Rewards

It could take a little time to adjust to your new hearing aids just like it would with new glasses. We hope, with the help of these suggestions, that adjustment period will go a bit more smoothly (and quickly). But you will be surprised how simple it will become if you stay with it and get into a routine. But pretty soon you will be able to put your attention on what your hearing: like your favorite shows or music or the daily interactions you’ve missed. Ultimately all these adjustments are well worth it. And change is good.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.
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