You’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. You received your new hearing aids. You’re so thrilled to be able to dive into your social life again. No more bad transitions or unclear conversations. But there’s an issue: everything sounds a little bit off.
That’s because it’ll likely take you a while 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 hard to be patient.
Luckily, there are some tips that can help speed up the transition process. Pretty soon, with a bit of practice, you will be focusing on what you’re hearing instead of your hearing aids.
Start slowly with these tips
Regardless of how technologically advanced they may be, it’s going to take your brain a little while to get used to hearing certain sounds again. Use these tips to proceed slowly and purposely give your ears time to adapt.:
- First, try to pay attention to one-on-one conversations: You might be setting yourself up for disappointment if you wear your hearing aids in a crowded setting on the first day. When the brain has to pay attention to all those voices, it can get overloaded at first. By beginning with one-on-one conversations you will make the transition smoother and also get a little additional practice.
- Only use your hearing aids for short periods 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. They may feel a little funny at first (this is normal), so it’s good to start a little bit at a time. You can begin to wear your hearing aids for longer durations as you become accustomed to them.
- Begin by wearing your hearing aids at home only: 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.
Get extra practice with these tips
Much like 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!
- Simply practice hearing: That’s right: Go somewhere a little quiet and take in 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.
- Watch TV with the closed-captions on: It’s easy: Turn the TV on, 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 type of practice will help you get used to understanding speech again.
- Listen to an audiobook while you read the print version: This is a really similar exercise (and allows you to get in some fun reading while you’re at it). Reading and listening to an audiobook concurrently will help your brain make connections between sounds and words.
Tips to keep your hearing health strong
Keeping your ears as healthy as you can, after all, is one of the principal purposes of hearing aids. And there are a few tips you can do to keep your ears happy as you get used to wearing your new hearing aid:
- Keep visiting us: There might be a temptation to believe that once you have the right hearing aids, you won’t need to have anymore hearing exams. This would be a bad idea. We can continue to watch your hearing, make certain the fit is comfortable, and make any required adjustments. It’s important to continue with these follow up appointments.
- If you’re experiencing any pain, make sure you take note of it and report it to us.: Your hearing aids shouldn’t hurt. So it’s important to report any issues with fit or any pain right away.
Be patient, and work up to full-time hearing aids
Working your way up to using your hearing aids full time is the objective here. Everyone’s different 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 enhance your life.