You finally obtained those new hearing aids. You’re so thrilled to be able to jump into your social life again. Now, you won’t be missing parts of conversations or going through uncomfortable transitions. But there’s a problem: everything sounds just a little off.
The reason for this is that it will normally take a bit of time before you adjust to your new hearing aids. Sometimes, this transition can be frustrating. You were so looking forward to enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s taking so long.
The good news is, there are some tips that can help accelerate the transition process. Before long, with a bit of practice, you will be paying attention to what you’re hearing rather than your hearing aids.
Start slowly with these tips
Regardless of how technologically sophisticated they may be, it’s going to take your brain a little while to adjust to hearing certain sounds again. Here are a few ways you can deliberately give yourself time to adjust and start things off slowly:
- Use your hearing aids for a short period of time: When you’re just starting, you can practice by using your hearing aids for only a few hours at a time. Your hearing aids will probably feel a little strange in your ears for a while so starting slowly is fine. You can begin to wear your hearing aids for longer durations as you become accustomed to them.
- Focus on one-on-one conversations first: If you wear your hearing aids while dining at a crowded restaurant on your first day using the devices, you could be disappointed, not because the hearing aids aren’t working. When the brain needs to focus on all those voices, it can become overloaded at first. By starting out with one-on-one conversations you will make the transition easier and also get a bit of additional practice.
- Start by using 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 considerably less noise pollution. This means you can focus on one voice at a time.
Get added practice with these tips
There are some things you can do, as with any skill, that can help you practice hearing. You may even have some fun!
- Do some listening exercise: That’s right: sit in a quiet place and let your ears do the hearing. Start out by focusing on the sound of wind blowing through the trees or birds chirping or nearby running water.
- Watch TV with the closed-captions enabled: It’s easy: Turn the TV on, put your hearing aids in, and enjoy. 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 type of practice will help you adjust to hearing speech again.
- Read along with the printed book while you listen to the audiobook.: This is a very similar exercise (and lets you have some fun reading while you’re at it). Reading and listening to an audiobook simultaneously will help your brain make links between sounds and words.
Strengthen your hearing health with these tips
Obviously, one of the purposes of hearing aids is to keep your hearing as healthy as possible. But, as you take some time to get used to your new hearing aids, there are some things you can do that your ears will thank you for.:
- Keep visiting us: You might not think you need to get hearing evaluations anymore after you get your hearing aids. Nothing could be further from the truth. We can continue to track your hearing, make sure the fit is comfortable, and make any needed adjustments. It’s important to continue with these follow up appointments.
- Be certain to note 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 report it as soon as possible.
Go slow and maximize your time as you get accustomed to your hearing aids
Your objective here will be to work your way up to using your hearing aids all of the time. Everybody’s different but the slow and steady strategy usually works best. You’ll want to get individualized 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.
