You finally obtained your new hearing aids. You’re finally going to be able to get back into the groove of your social life again. Now, you won’t be missing parts of conversations or experiencing awkward transitions. But there’s a problem: everything sounds just a little off.
That’s because it’ll likely take you a while to adjust to a new pair of hearing aids. This can be a frustrating transition. You were so looking forward to enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s taking so long.
But there are some tips you can use to minimize this transition period. Pretty soon, with a little practice, you will be focusing on what you’re hearing rather than your hearing aids.
Start slowly with these tips
No matter how technologically advanced they may be, it’s going to take your brain some time to get used to hearing certain sounds again. Use these tips to start slowly and purposely give your ears time to adjust.:
- Begin by wearing your hearing aids at home only: When you’re at home, you have much more control over what you’re hearing, and you’ll likely experience substantially less noise pollution. This means you can concentrate on one voice at a time.
- Only use your hearing aids for short periods of time at first: A few hours at a time is the most you should use your hearing aids when you first start out. Your hearing aids will most likely feel a little weird in your ears for a while so beginning slowly is okay. As your hearing aids become more comfortable, you can wear them for longer periods of time.
- Focus on one-on-one conversations first: You may be setting yourself up for frustration if you use your hearing aids in a noisy setting right out of the box. It’s just that it’s tough for your ear and brain to manage focusing on all those different voices. Sticking to one-on-one conversations can help make that transition easier (and give you a bit of extra practice, as well).
Tips that help you get added practice in
Similar to any other skill (and hearing is a skill, among other things), there are some activities that can help you practice with your hearing aids. You may even have a little fun!
- Do some listening exercise: That’s right: sit in a quiet room and let your ears do the hearing. 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.
- Read along with the printed book while you listen to the audiobook.: This is a very similar exercise (and allows you to get in some fun reading while you’re at it). Your brain will learn to make connections between words and sounds by employing this read along technique.
- Watch TV with the closed-captions on: It’s easy: Turn on the TV, put your hearing aids in, and enjoy. Your brain will begin remembering what certain words sound like when you read along with the voices you’re hearing. This can give you some practice hearing and getting used to speech.
Tips to keep your hearing health up
Keeping your ears as healthy as you can, after all, is one of the primary purposes of hearing aids. But, as you take some time to get accustomed to your new hearing aids, there are some things you can do that your ears will thank you for.:
- If you have any pain, make sure you document it and report it to us.: Because it shouldn’t hurt to wear hearing aids. So it’s important to report any problems with fit or any pain right away.
- Keep visiting us: There might be a temptation to believe that once you’ve got the right hearing aids, you won’t need to have anymore hearing exams. This would be the worst idea. We can continue to track your hearing, make certain the fit is comfortable, and make any needed adjustments. It’s essential to continue with these follow up appointments.
Go slow and maximize your time as you get accustomed to your hearing aids
Working your way up to using your hearing aids full time is the objective here. Everybody’s different but the slow and steady strategy often works best. You’ll want to get personalized advice from us on the best way for you to get used to your new hearing aid.
These tips will help you have a more enjoyable and enriched life with your new hearing aids.