You finally got your new hearing aids. You’re so excited to be able to jump into your social life again. No more bad transitions or unclear conversations. But there’s an issue: everything sounds just a little off.
The reason for this is that it will usually take a bit of time before you get used to your new hearing aids. This can be a frustrating transition. You were so excited about enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s hard to be patient.
Luckily, there are a few tips that can help quicken the transition process. With a little practice, you can quickly get yourself to a space where you’re paying less attention to hearing aids, and paying more attention to what you’re hearing.
Tips that help you start Slowly
Your brain will take a little time to get accustomed to hearing certain sounds again regardless of how sophisticated your hearing aids are. Here are some ways you can deliberately give yourself time to adjust and take it slowly:
- Only wear your hearing aids for short amounts of time at first: When you’re just starting, you can practice by wearing your hearing aids for only a few hours at a time. Your hearing aids will most likely feel a little strange in your ears for a while so starting gradually is fine. As your hearing aids get more comfortable, you can wear them for longer durations.
- Wear 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 will help you concentrate on individual voices.
- At first, try to pay attention to one-on-one conversations: 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 difficult 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 easier and also get a little additional practice.
Tips that help you get added practice in
Similar to any other skill (and hearing is a skill, among other things), there are a few activities that can help you practice with your hearing aids. You could even have some fun!
- Do some listening exercise: That’s right: Go someplace a little quiet and experience the sounds around you. You can practice by focusing on trying to hear the fridge running or the cat meowing in the other room or the birds singing outside.
- Read along with the printed book while you listen to the audiobook.: This is a very similar exercise (and allows you to have some fun reading while you’re at it). Your brain will learn to make connections between words and sounds by employing this read along approach.
- Watch TV with the closed-captions on: It’s easy: put your hearing aids in, turn on the television, and watch your favorite program. As you read the words you’ll also be hearing the actors talk, and your brain will start remembering what all these words sound like. This can give you some practice hearing and adjusting to speech.
Tips to keep your hearing health strong
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:
- If you’re experiencing any pain, be sure you document it and tell us about it.: Your hearing aids shouldn’t hurt. So it’s important to let us know about any issues with fit or any pain right away.
- Keep visiting us: There might be a temptation to believe 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 help make adjustments to your hearing aids, keep the fit comfortable, and continue to check in on your hearing. It’s essential to continue with these follow up appointments.
Take your time, and work up to full-time hearing aids
Your goal here will be to work your way up to using your hearing aids full time. Everybody’s different but the slow and steady approach usually works best. You’ll want to get individualized advice from us on the best way for you to get accustomed to your new hearing aid.
These tips will help you have a more enjoyable and enriched life with your new hearing aids.