You finally got your new hearing aids. You’re finally going to be able to get back into the swing of your social life again. Now, you won’t be missing parts of conversations or experiencing uncomfortable transitions. But there’s an issue: everything sounds a little bit off.
That’s because it’ll most likely take you a while to adjust to a new set of hearing aids. Often, this transition can be annoying. You were so looking forward to enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s taking so long.
But there are a few tips you can use to decrease this transition period. Before long, with a bit of practice, you will be paying attention to what you’re hearing rather than your hearing aids.
Start slowly with these tips
Your brain will take a little while to get used to hearing certain sounds again no matter how sophisticated your hearing aids are. Here are a few ways you can deliberately give yourself time to adjust and take it slowly:
- Focus on one-on-one conversations first: You may be setting yourself up for disappointment if you use your hearing aids in a noisy setting on the first day. It’s just that it’s hard for your ear and brain to cope with focusing on all those different voices. By beginning with one-on-one conversations you will make the transition smoother and also get a bit of extra practice.
- Only wear your hearing aids for short periods of time to begin with: A few hours at a time is the most you should use your hearing aids when you first start out. Your hearing aids will probably feel a little weird in your ears for a while so beginning slowly is fine. As your hearing aids become more comfortable, you can use them for longer periods of time.
- Begin by wearing your hearing aids at home only: When you’re at home, you have a lot more control over what you’re hearing, and you’ll probably experience significantly less noise pollution. This means you can concentrate on one voice at a time.
Get extra 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!
- Watch TV with the closed-captions enabled: It’s easy: put in your hearing aids, flip on the TV, and watch your favorite program. As you read the words you’ll also be hearing the characters speak, and your brain will start remembering what all these words sound like. This sort of practice will help you adjust to understanding speech again.
- Read along with the printed book while you listen to the audiobook.: This comparable exercise can also be quite enjoyable. Reading and listening to an audiobook together will help your brain make associations between sounds and words.
- Simply practice hearing: That’s right: Sit somewhere a little quiet and take in the sounds around you. You can practice by focusing on trying to hear the refrigerator running or the cat meowing in the other room or the birds chirping outside.
Strengthen your hearing health with these tips
Keeping your ears as healthy as possible, after all, is one of the primary purposes of hearing aids. And there are some tips you can do to keep your ears happy as you get used to using your new hearing aid:
- Be sure to note and report any pain: Because it shouldn’t be painful to wear hearing aids. So if you’re experiencing any pain or something’s not fitting right, it’s important to let us know as soon as possible.
- Keep visiting us: You may not think you need to get hearing assessments anymore after you get your hearing aids. This would be a bad idea. We can help tune your hearing aids, keep the fit comfortable, and continue to check in on your hearing. These follow up appointments are really important.
Go slow and increase your time as you get accustomed to your hearing aids
Working your way up to using your hearing aids full time is the goal here. A slow and steady approach works quite often, but everybody’s unique. You’ll want to get personalized advice from us on the best way for you to get accustomed to your new hearing aid.
Implementing 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.