You finally obtained your new hearing aids. You’re finally going to be able to get back into the groove of your social life again. No more bad transitions or confused conversations. But your hearing aids just don’t sound quite right.
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 excited about enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s hard to be patient.
But there are some tips you can use to reduce this transition period. With a little practice, you can quickly get yourself to a place where you’re thinking less about your hearing aids, and paying more attention to what you’re hearing.
Start slowly with these tips
Regardless of how technologically sophisticated they may be, it’s going to take your brain some time to get used to hearing certain sounds again. Here are a few ways you can purposely give yourself time to adjust and take it slowly:
- Only use your hearing aids for short amounts of time to begin with: A few hours at a time is the most you should wear your hearing aids when you first get started. Your hearing aids will most likely feel a little weird in your ears for a while so starting gradually is fine. As your hearing aids get more comfortable, you can wear them for longer periods of time.
- Use your hearing aids only around the house initially: You’ll be less likely to encounter noise pollution at home and you will be able to have a greater amount of control over the sounds you’re hearing. This means you can concentrate on one voice at a time.
- Start with one-on-one conversations first: If you wear your hearing aids while eating at a crowded restaurant on your first day you get them, you could be discouraged, not because the hearing aids are doing anything wrong. It’s just that it’s tough for your ear and brain to manage focusing on all those different voices. By starting out with one-on-one conversations you will make the transition smoother and also get a bit of additional practice.
Tips that help you get extra practice in
There are some activities, as with any skill, that can help you with hearing aid practice. Some of these are even enjoyable!
- Read along with the printed version while you listen to the audiobook.: This similar exercise can also be really enjoyable. Reading and listening to an audiobook concurrently will help your brain make associations between sounds and words.
- Watch TV with the closed-captions enabled: It’s easy: put your hearing aids in, turn on the television, and watch your favorite program. Your brain will begin remembering what certain words sound like when you read along with the voices you’re hearing. This type of practice will help you get used to hearing speech again.
- Do some listening practice: That’s right: sit in a quiet room and let your ears do the hearing. You can practice by focusing on trying to hear the fridge running or the cat meowing in another room or the birds singing outside.
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. And there are a few tips you can do to keep your ears happy as you get accustomed to using your new hearing aid:
- Keep visiting us: There might be a temptation to think that once you have the right hearing aids, you won’t need to have anymore hearing exams. Nothing could be further from the truth. We can continue to track your hearing, make certain the fit is comfortable, and make any required adjustments. It’s important to continue with these follow up visits.
- Be certain to take note of and let us know about any pain: Because it shouldn’t hurt to wear hearing aids. So it’s important to report any issues with fit or any pain right away.
Be patient, and build up to full-time hearing aids
Working your way up to using your hearing aids full time is the goal here. A slow and steadfast strategy works quite often, but everyone’s unique. 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.