People typically don’t like change. Experienced through that perspective, hearing aids can be a double-edged sword: they open up an amazing new world of sounds for you, but they also represent a considerable transformation of your life. That level of change can be a challenge, especially if you’re the type of person that enjoys the placid comfort of your everyday routine. New hearing aids can introduce a few specific challenges. But learning how to adapt to these devices can help guarantee your new hearing aids will be a change you will welcome.
Here Are Some Quick Ways to Adjust to Your New Hearing Aids
Your hearing will be dramatically enhanced whether you are moving to your first hearing aids or upgrading to a more powerful design. That could be quite a challenge depending on your situation. Following these guidelines may make your transition a bit more comfortable.
Begin Using Your Hearing Aids in Smaller Doses
The more you use your hearing aids, as a basic rule, the healthier your ears will stay. But if you’re breaking in your very first pair, using your hearing aids for 18 hours a day can be quite unpleasant. You could begin by trying to wear your hearing aids for 8 hours intervals, and then gradually build up your endurance.
Practice Listening to Conversations
When your brain is first able to hear sound again it will probably need a transition period. During this adjustment period, it might be hard to follow conversations or make out speech clearly. But if you want to reset the hearing-language-and-interpreting part of your brain, you can try practicing exercises like reading along with an audiobook.
Take The Time to Get a Hearing Aid Fitting
One of the initial things you’ll do – even before you get your final hearing aids – is go through a fitting process. Maximizing comfort, taking account of the shape and size of your ear canal, and adjusting for your personal loss of hearing are all things that a fitting helps with. You might need to have several adjustments. It’s essential to come see us for follow-up appointments and to be serious about these fittings. When your hearing aids fit properly, your hearing aids will sit more comfortably and sound better. Adjustments to various conditions can also be done by us.
Troubleshoot
Sometimes adapting to a new hearing aid is a little difficult because something’s not functioning quite right. If there is too much feedback that can be uncomfortable. Or perhaps the hearing aid keeps falling out (which can be infuriating). It can be overwhelming to adjust to hearing aids because of these kinds of issues, so it’s best to find solutions as soon as you can. Try these guidelines:
- Consult your hearing specialist to be certain that the hearing aids are properly calibrated to your loss of hearing.
- Charge your hearing aids every day or exchange the batteries. When the batteries on your hearing aids begin to decline, they normally don’t perform as efficiently as they’re meant to.
- If you hear a lot of feedback, ensure that your hearing aids are correctly sitting in your ears (it might be that your fit is just a little off) and that there aren’t any blockages (earwax for instance).
- Discuss any buzzing or ringing with your hearing expert. Occasionally, your cell phone can cause interference with your hearing aid. In other situations, it may be that we have to make some adjustments.
Adapting to Your New Hearing Aids Has Its Advantages
Just as it could with a new pair of glasses, it may take you a little bit of time to get used to your new hearing aids. We hope, with the help of these guidelines, that adjustment period will proceed a little bit more smoothly (and quickly). But you will be pleased by how normal it will become if you stick with it and find a routine. But pretty soon you will be able to place your attention on what your hearing: like the daily discussion you’ve been missing or your favorite tunes. These sounds will remind you that all those adjustments are worth it in the end. And sometimes change is not a bad thing.