You’ve been waiting for 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 parts of conversations or experiencing uncomfortable transitions. But your hearing aids just don’t seem quite right.
That’s because it’ll probably take you some time to adjust to a new set of hearing aids. Sometimes, this transition can be frustrating. After all, there was so much you were looking forward to, and that adjustment period just feels so long.
Luckily, there are some tips that can help accelerate the transition process. Before long, with a little practice, you will be focusing on what you’re hearing instead of 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 some ways you can purposely give yourself time to adjust and take it slowly:
- Use your hearing aids only around the house at first: 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.
- Only wear your hearing aids for short amounts of time at first: A few hours at a time is the most you should wear your hearing aids when you first start out. They may feel a little uncomfortable at first (this is normal), so it’s good to start a little bit at a time. You can start to wear your hearing aids for longer durations as you become accustomed to them.
- First, try to focus on one-on-one conversations: You could be setting yourself up for disappointment if you use your hearing aids in a crowded environment right out of the box. It’s just that it’s tough for your ear and brain to deal with focusing on all those different voices. Staying with one-on-one conversations can help make that transition easier (and give you a little extra practice, as well).
Tips that help you get added practice in
There are some activities, as with any skill, that can help you with hearing aid practice. Some of these are even enjoyable!
- Just practice hearing: That’s right: sit in a quiet room and let your ears do the hearing. You can practice by concentrating on trying to hear the refrigerator running or the cat meowing in another room or the birds singing outside.
- Listen to an audiobook while you read the printed book: 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 together will help your brain make connections between words and sound.
- Use closed-captions when you watch TV: It’s easy: put your hearing aids in, flip on the television, and watch your favorite show. As you read the dialog you’ll also be hearing the characters speak, and your brain will begin to remember what all these words sound like. This can give you some practice hearing and adjusting to speech.
Tips to keep your hearing health strong
Obviously, one of the purposes of hearing aids is to keep your ears as healthy as you can. And there are some tips you can do to keep your ears happy as you get used 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 see us anymore. Nothing could be further from the truth. We can continue to watch your hearing, make sure the fit is comfortable, and make any needed adjustments. It’s important to continue with these follow up visits.
- If you’re experiencing any pain, be sure you take note of it and tell us about it.: Your hearing aids shouldn’t hurt. So if you’re experiencing any pain or something’s not fitting right, it’s important to let us know as soon as possible.
Take your time, and build up to full-time hearing aids
Working your way up to wearing your hearing aids full time is the objective here. Everybody’s different but the slow and steady approach usually works best. You’ll want to get personalized guidance from us on the best way for you to get accustomed to your new hearing aid.
Sticking with these tips (and tips like them) can help ensure that you enjoy having your hearing aids and that you keep wearing them because they continue to enhance your life.