You finally got those new hearing aids. You’re so thrilled to be able to dive into your social life again. Now, you won’t be missing parts of conversations or experiencing uncomfortable transitions. But there’s a problem: everything sounds a little bit off.
The reason for this is that it will usually take some time before you get used 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 hard to be patient.
Luckily, there are some tips that can help quicken the transition process. Before long, with a little practice, you will be focusing on what you’re hearing rather than your hearing aids.
Start slowly with these tips
Regardless of how technologically advanced they may be, it’s going to take your brain a little while to adjust to hearing certain sounds again. Here are a few ways you can purposely give yourself time to adjust and start things off slowly:
- Wear your hearing aids for a short duration: 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 weird in your ears for a while so beginning slowly is fine. As your hearing aids get more comfortable, you can wear them for longer periods of time.
- Start by using your hearing aids at home only: You’ll be less likely to experience noise pollution at home and you will be able to have a greater degree of control over the sounds you’re hearing. This means you can focus on one voice at a time.
- Focus on one-on-one conversations first: If you use your hearing aids while eating at a crowded restaurant on your first day using the devices, you might be discouraged, not because the devices are doing anything wrong. When the brain needs to focus on all those voices, it can get overloaded at first. Staying with one-on-one conversations can help make that transition smoother (and give you a bit of extra practice, as well).
Tips that help you get extra practice in
There are some activities, as with any skill, that can help you with hearing aid practice. You may even have some fun!
- Read along with the printed book while you listen to the audiobook.: This is a very similar exercise (and allows you to get in some fun reading while you’re at it). Reading and listening to an audiobook together will help your brain make links between sounds and words.
- Do some listening exercise: That’s right: Go somewhere a little quiet and take in the sounds around you. You can practice by concentrating on trying to hear the refrigerator running or the cat meowing in another room or the birds singing outside.
- Use closed-captions when you watch TV: It’s easy: put your hearing aids in, turn on the TV, and watch your favorite program. Your brain will start to remember what certain words sound like as you read along with the voices you’re hearing. This kind of practice will help you adjust to hearing speech again.
Improve your hearing health with these tips
Obviously, one of the purposes of hearing aids is to keep your ears as healthy as possible. But, as you take some time to get accustomed to your new hearing aids, there are some things you can do that your ears will thank you for.:
- Be sure to note and let us know about any pain: Your hearing aids shouldn’t hurt. So if you’re noticing any pain or something’s not fitting right, it’s important to let us know as soon as possible.
- Keep visiting us: You might not think you need to get hearing exams anymore after you get your hearing aids. This would be the worst idea. We can help tune your hearing aids, keep the fit comfortable, and continue to check in on your hearing. These follow up visits are very important.
Go slow and increase your time as you get accustomed to your hearing aids
Your goal here will be to work your way up to wearing your hearing aids all of the time. Everyone’s different but the slow and steady approach usually works best. Understanding the best ways to get comfortable with your new hearing aids is something we can assist you with.
Following 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 enhance your life.