You’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time. You received your new hearing aids. You’re finally going to be able to get back into the swing of your social life again. No more bad transitions or confused conversations. But your hearing aids just don’t seem quite right.
That’s because it’ll most likely take you some time to adjust to a new pair of hearing aids. Sometimes, this transition can be frustrating. You were so excited about enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s taking so long.
But there are a few tips you can practice to decrease this transition period. With a little practice, you can quickly get yourself to a place where you’re thinking less about your hearing aids, and tuning in to what you’re hearing.
Start slowly with these tips
Your brain will take a little while to get accustomed to hearing certain sounds again no matter how sophisticated your hearing aids are. Here are some ways you can deliberately give yourself time to adjust and take it slowly:
- Initially, try to focus on one-on-one conversations: If you use your hearing aids while eating at a crowded restaurant on your first day using the devices, you might be discouraged, not because the hearing aids are doing anything wrong. When the brain has to focus on all those voices, it can become overwhelmed at first. Staying with one-on-one conversations can help make that transition easier (and give you a little extra practice, too).
- Only use your hearing aids for short amounts of time to begin with: A few hours at a time is the most you should wear your hearing aids when you first get started. Your hearing aids will probably feel a little weird in your ears for a while so beginning slowly is fine. You can start to wear your hearing aids for longer periods as you get used to them.
- Wear your hearing aids only around the house at first: You’ll be less likely to experience noise pollution at home and you will be able to have a better amount of control over the sounds you’re hearing. This means you can concentrate on one voice at a time.
Tips that help you get extra practice in
Similar to any other skill (and hearing is a skill, among other things), there are certain activities that can help you practice with your hearing aids. Some of these are even enjoyable!
- Turn on closed-captions when you watch TV: It’s easy: Turn the TV on, put your hearing aids in, and enjoy. Your brain will begin remembering what certain words sound like as you read along with the voices you’re hearing. This sort of practice will help you get used to hearing speech again.
- Listen to an audiobook while you read the printed book: This similar exercise can also be very enjoyable. Reading and listening to an audiobook together will help your brain make links between words and sound.
- Simply practice hearing: That’s right: sit in a quiet place and let your ears do the hearing. You can practice by concentrating on trying to hear the fridge running or the cat meowing in the other room or the birds chirping outside.
Tips to keep your hearing health strong
Obviously, one of the purposes of hearing aids is to keep your hearing as healthy as you can. But, as you take some time to get accustomed to your new hearing aids, there are a few things you can do that your ears will thank you for.:
- Keep visiting us: There might be a temptation to think that once you’ve got the right hearing aids, you won’t need to see us anymore. This would be a bad idea. 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.
- Be certain to take note of and let us know about any pain: Your hearing aids shouldn’t be painful. So if you’re noticing any pain or something’s not fitting right, it’s important to let us know as soon as you can.
Go slow and increase your time as you get accustomed to your hearing aids
Your goal here will be to work your way up to using your hearing aids all of the time. Everybody’s unique but the slow and steady strategy often works best. Understanding the best ways to get comfortable with your new hearing aids is something we can assist you with.
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 improve your life.