Getting new hearing aids will reintroduce sounds you didn’t know you were missing. You’ll be surprised by all the new sounds you hear again; some may even seem too loud. Adjusting to new hearing aids requires patience and practice, as new hearing aids are complex devices.
Here are six tips to help you get used to your devices and enjoy a quality listening experience.
Understand How Your Hearing Aids Work
Knowing how your hearing aids function will give you an idea of what to expect while you wear them. Your audiologist will teach you how to use your devices, including putting them in your ears, removing them and keeping them clean. Understanding how the mics, processor and electronic components work is essential to a positive listening experience.
It’s important to understand that hearing aids won’t bring your hearing capabilities back to what they once were, but they still provide dramatic improvements. Even the best hearing aids have limitations.
Don’t Mess with Your Settings
Your audiologist will adjust your devices to your hearing specifications. Since your brain hasn’t been hearing at its best, sounds may seem too loud at first. It’s tempting to reach the settings but leave adjustments to the professionals. Your hearing aids may adjust automatically to different acoustic environments, so you won’t need to change the settings.
Practice Listening, Speaking and Reading
Hearing loss can cause bad communication habits, such as speaking too loudly. Your voice could seem too loud, and chewing and swallowing may take some getting used to as well.
Speaking out loud to yourself or having a one-on-one conversation with a loved one is a good way to practice speaking skills. Try reading aloud, listening to an audiobook or watching a show with closed captions to relearn letter and word sounds.
Wear Your Hearing Aids in Quiet Places
You’ll likely notice background sounds such as the clock, the refrigerator, birds and traffic. It will take time for your brain to relearn and filter out unnecessary sounds, so wear your hearing aids in a quiet place first.
Sit in a quiet room, listen to background noises and try to identify their source. Move to louder spaces over time, such as a public outdoor space or the grocery store. You’ll gradually learn to tune out distractions and focus on the sounds you want to hear.
Give Your Ears a Break
Start with wearing your devices for a few hours every day and increase the duration over time. Processing more sounds can leave you feeling mentally fatigued, so giving yourself listening breaks is important. Removing your hearing aids for a short time also helps your ears adjust to the presence of the devices.
Visit Your Audiologist
One of the most important tips for adjusting to new hearing aids is scheduling follow-up appointments with your audiologist. It can take weeks or months to adjust to your hearing aids, and your audiologist will answer questions and make necessary adjustments. It’s not unusual to visit your audiologist three to six times within your first year of hearing aid use.
Some audiologists only provide limited visits, but Audio Help Hearing Centers offers unlimited follow-up visits with our care plan so you can access personalized services whenever needed. We’re committed to providing you with the best hearing solution based on the expertise of our doctors of audiology, regardless of the hearing aid brand.
Plan to Wear Your Hearing Aids Fulltime
Once you’ve gone through the adjustment period, you should plan to wear your hearing aids all day. The key to successfully adjusting to your hearing aids is to let your brain adjust to them, and that will only happen if you wear them all the time.
Contact Audio Help Hearing Centers online or call 888-832-9966 to start your journey toward better hearing today.
