You’ve been waiting for this day for quite a while. You got your new hearing aids. You’re finally going to be able to get back into the swing of your social life again. Now, you won’t be missing parts of conversations or going through awkward transitions. But there’s a problem: everything sounds just a little off.
That’s because it’ll likely take you some time to adjust to a new pair of hearing aids. Often, this transition can be annoying. You were so looking forward to enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s taking so long.
But there are several tips you can practice to reduce 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
Regardless of how technologically advanced they might be, it’s going to take your brain some time to adjust to hearing certain sounds again. Here are a few ways you can intentionally give yourself time to adjust and take it slowly:
- Focus on one-on-one conversations first: You may be setting yourself up for frustration if you use your hearing aids in a crowded environment right out of the box. It’s just that it’s hard for your ear and brain to deal with focusing on all those different voices. By beginning with one-on-one conversations you will make the transition easier and also get a bit of extra practice.
- 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 get started. They may feel a little uncomfortable at first (this is normal), so it’s good to start slowly. As your hearing aids become more comfortable, you can wear them for longer periods of time.
- Wear your hearing aids only around the house at first: When you’re at home, you have much more control over what you’re hearing, and you’ll likely experience significantly less noise pollution. This means you can concentrate on one voice at a time.
Get added practice with these tips
As with 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 fun!
- Use closed-captions when you watch TV: It’s easy: Turn on the TV, put your hearing aids in, and enjoy. As you read the dialog you’ll also be hearing the characters talk, and your brain will begin to remember what all these words sound like. This type of practice will help you get used to hearing speech again.
- Read along with the printed version while you listen to the audiobook.: This similar exercise can also be really enjoyable. Reading and listening to an audiobook concurrently will help your brain make associations between sounds and words.
- Simply practice hearing: That’s right: sit in a quiet space 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.
Tips to keep your hearing health up
Keeping your ears as healthy as possible, after all, is one of the primary purposes of hearing aids. But, as you take some time to get used to your new hearing aids, there are a few things you can do that your ears will thank you for.:
- Keep visiting us: You may not think you need to get hearing evaluations anymore after you get your hearing aids. This would be a bad idea. We can continue to monitor your hearing, make sure the fit is comfortable, and make any needed adjustments. These follow up appointments are really important.
- Be certain to take note of and report any pain: Your hearing aids shouldn’t hurt. So if you’re experiencing any pain or something’s not fitting right, it’s important to let us know as soon as possible.
Go slow and maximize your time as you get used to your hearing aids
Your objective here will be to work your way up to using your hearing aids full time. Everyone’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 help you with.
Implementing these tips (and tips like them) can help make sure that you enjoy having your hearing aids and that you keep using them because they continue to enrich your life.