As a general rule, people don’t like change. Taking this into account, there can be a double edged sword with hearing aids: they open up an amazing new world of sounds for you, but they also signify a substantial modification of your life. That amount of change can be a challenge, specifically if you’re the type of person that enjoys the placid convenience of your daily routine. New hearing aids can introduce a few particular challenges. But understanding how to adjust to these devices can help guarantee your new hearing aids will be a change you will welcome.
Guidelines to Help You Adjust More Quickly to Your Hearing Aids
Whether it’s your first set of hearing aids (congrats!) or an improvement to a more powerful pair, any new hearing aid is going to represent a significant enhancement to how you hear. That could be quite a challenge depending on your circumstances. But your transition might be a little bit easier if you follow these tips.
When You First Get Your Hearing Aids Only Wear Them Intermittently
As a basic rule, the more you wear your hearing aids, the healthier your ears will stay. But if you’re breaking in your very first pair, using your hearing aids for 18 hours a day can be somewhat unpleasant. You may try to build up your stamina by starting with 8 hours and building up from there.
Pay Attention to Conversations For Practice
When you first begin using your hearing aids, your brain will probably need some time to get accustomed to the concept that it’s able to hear sounds again. During this adjustment period, it may be difficult to follow conversations or hear speech with clarity. But practicing using listening or reading exercises (such as reading along to an audiobook) can help the language-hearing-and-interpreting region of your brain wake back up.
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. Enhancing comfort, taking account of the size and shape of your ear canal, and adjusting for your individual hearing loss are all things that a fitting can help with. You could require more than one adjustment. It’s important to come see us for follow-up appointments and to be serious about these fittings. Your device will sound more natural and will sit more comfortably if they fit properly. Adjustments to various environments can also be made by us.
Troubleshoot
Sometimes when you first purchase your hearing aid something isn’t working right and it becomes hard to adjust to it. Maybe you hear too much feedback (which can be uncomfortable). It can also be infuriating when the hearing aid keeps falling out. These kinds of problems can make it overwhelming to adjust to your hearing aids, so it’s a good idea to find solutions as early as you can. Try these guidelines:
- 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 are no obstructions (such as excess earwax).
- Talk over any buzzing or ringing with your hearing expert. At times, 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 evening or exchange the batteries. When the batteries on your hearing aids begin to decrease, they normally don’t perform as efficiently as they’re meant to.
- Consult your hearing professional to double check that the hearing aids are correctly calibrated to your hearing loss.
The Benefits of Adjusting to Your New Hearing Aids
Just as it would with new glasses, it may possibly take you a small amount of time to get used to your new hearing aids. We hope, with the help of these guidelines, that adjustment period will proceed somewhat more smoothly (and quickly). But you will be pleased by how natural it will become if you stay with it and find a routine. And once that happens, you’ll be capable of devoting your attention to the things you’re actually listening to: like your favorite programs or music or the day-to-day discussions you’ve missed. In the end, all these adjustments will be well worth it. And change is good.
