You’ve been looking forward to this day for quite a while. You got your new hearing aids. You’re so excited to be able to jump into your social life again. Now, you won’t be missing elements of conversations or experiencing uncomfortable transitions. But your hearing aids just don’t sound quite right.
The reason for this is that it will normally take some time before you get used to your new hearing aids. Often, this transition can be annoying. After all, there was so much you were excited to do, and that adjustment period just feels so slow.
But there are a few tips you can use to decrease this transition period. Before long, with a bit of practice, you will be focusing on what you’re hearing instead of your hearing aids.
Tips that help you start Slowly
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. Use these tips to start slowly and purposely give your ears time to adapt.:
- Only wear your hearing aids for short periods of time at first: A few hours at a time is the most you should wear your hearing aids when you first get started. They might feel a little uncomfortable at first (this is normal), so it’s good to start slowly. You can start to wear your hearing aids for longer periods as you become accustomed to them.
- Begin by using your hearing aids at home only: You’ll be less likely to encounter noise pollution at home and you will be able to have a greater degree of control over the sounds you’re hearing. This will help you focus on individual voices.
- At first, try to focus on one-on-one conversations: If you use your hearing aids while dining at a crowded restaurant on your first day using the devices, you may be disappointed, not because the hearing aids aren’t working. When the brain has to focus on all those voices, it can get overwhelmed at first. By starting out with one-on-one conversations you will make the transition easier and also get a little extra practice.
Get additional practice with these tips
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!
- Simply practice hearing: That’s right: Sit someplace 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 chirping outside.
- Watch TV with the closed-captions on: It’s easy: put in your hearing aids, flip on the TV, and watch your favorite program. As you read the dialog you’ll also be hearing the actors talk, and your brain will begin to remember what all these words sound like. This type of practice will help you adjust to hearing speech again.
- Read along with the printed version while you listen to the audiobook.: This is a really similar exercise (and lets you get in some fun reading while you’re at it). Reading and listening to an audiobook concurrently will help your brain make associations between sounds and words.
Improve your hearing health with these tips
Obviously, one of the purposes of hearing aids is to keep your hearing 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.:
- If you have any pain, make sure you take note of it and report it to us.: Your hearing aids shouldn’t be painful. So if you’re experiencing any pain or something’s not fitting right, it’s important to report it as soon as possible.
- Keep visiting us: There might be a temptation to think that once you have the right hearing aids, you won’t need to see us anymore. Nothing could be further from the truth. We can continue to monitor your hearing, make sure the fit is comfortable, and make any required adjustments. It’s essential to continue with these follow up appointments.
Take your time, and build up to full-time hearing aids
Your objective here will be to work your way up to using your hearing aids all of the time. Everyone’s unique but the slow and steady approach often works best. Learning the best ways to get comfortable with your new hearing aids is something we can assist you with.
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 enrich your life.