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 dive into your social life again. No more missed transitions or confused conversations. 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 pair of hearing aids. This can be an annoying transition. You were so excited about enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s taking so long.
But there are some tips you can practice to reduce this transition period. Before long, with a little practice, you will be paying attention to what you’re hearing rather than your hearing aids.
Start slowly with these tips
Your brain will take a little time to get accustomed to hearing certain sounds again regardless of how sophisticated your hearing aids are. Use these tips to proceed slowly and purposely give your ears time to adapt.:
- 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 start out. Your hearing aids will probably feel a little strange in your ears for a while so starting slowly is fine. You can start to wear your hearing aids for longer periods as you get used to them.
- Start by wearing your hearing aids at home only: When you’re at home, you have a lot more control over what you’re hearing, and you’ll probably experience considerably less noise pollution. This will help you focus on individual voices.
- Start with one-on-one conversations first: You could be setting yourself up for frustration if you use your hearing aids in a crowded setting 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 smoother (and give you a little extra practice, as well).
Tips that help you get extra practice in
There are some activities, as with any skill, that can help you practice hearing. Some of these are even fun!
- Listen to an audiobook while you read the print version: This is a very similar exercise (and allows you to get in some fun reading while you’re at it). Reading and listening to an audiobook together will help your brain make associations between words and sound.
- Watch TV with the closed-captions on: It’s easy: put your hearing aids in, turn on the TV, and watch your favorite show. As you read the words you’ll also be hearing the actors talk, and your brain will begin to remember what all these words sound like. This can give you some practice hearing and getting used to speech.
- Do some listening exercise: That’s right: Sit 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.
Strengthen your hearing health with these tips
Obviously, one of the purposes of hearing aids is to keep your ears as healthy as you can. And there are a few tips you can do to keep your ears happy as you get accustomed to using your new hearing aid:
- Be certain to take note of and report 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 possible.
- Keep visiting us: You might not think you need to get hearing exams anymore after you get your hearing aids. This would be a bad idea. 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.
Be patient, 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 unique 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 live a more enjoyable and enriched life with your new hearing aids.