You’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. You got your new hearing aids. You’re so thrilled to be able to dive into your social life again. No more bad transitions or confused conversations. But there’s an issue: everything sounds a little bit off.
That’s because it’ll probably take you a while to adjust to a new pair of hearing aids. This can be a frustrating transition. You were so excited about enjoying your hearing again and it feels like it’s taking so long.
But there are several tips you can use to minimize this transition period. With some practice, you can quickly get yourself to a space where you’re paying less attention to hearing aids, and paying more attention to what you’re hearing.
Tips that help you start Slowly
Your brain will take a little while to get used to hearing certain sounds again regardless of how sophisticated your hearing aids are. Here are a few ways you can intentionally give yourself time to adjust and start things off slowly:
- First, try to pay attention to one-on-one conversations: You might be setting yourself up for frustration if you use your hearing aids in a noisy setting right out of the box. It’s just that it’s tough for your ear and brain to cope with focusing on all those different voices. Sticking to one-on-one conversations can help make that transition smoother (and give you a bit of extra practice, as well).
- Wear your hearing aids for a short duration: A few hours at a time is the most you should use your hearing aids when you first start out. Your hearing aids will most likely feel a little weird in your ears for a while so beginning gradually is fine. As your hearing aids get more comfortable, you can wear them for longer periods of time.
- Start by wearing your hearing aids at home only: You’ll be less likely to experience noise pollution at home and you will be able to have a better degree 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
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 enjoyable!
- Turn on closed-captions when you watch TV: It’s easy: put in your hearing aids, flip on the television, and watch your favorite show. Your brain will start to remember what certain words sound like as you read along with the voices you’re hearing. This can give you some practice hearing and adjusting to speech.
- Listen to an audiobook while you read the print version: This is a really similar exercise (and lets you have some fun reading while you’re at it). Your brain will learn to make connections between sounds and words by employing this read along technique.
- Do some listening exercise: That’s right: Sit somewhere a little quiet and experience the sounds around you. You can practice by focusing on trying to hear the refrigerator running or the cat meowing in the other room or the birds singing outside.
Improve your hearing health with these tips
Keeping your ears as healthy as you can, after all, is one of the principal purposes of hearing aids. But, as you take some time to get accustomed to your new hearing aids, there are some things you can do that your ears will thank you for.:
- If you’re experiencing any pain, make sure you take note of it and tell us about it.: Your hearing aids shouldn’t be painful. So if you’re experiencing any pain or something’s not fitting right, it’s important to let us know as soon as possible.
- Keep visiting us: You may 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.
Go slow and increase 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. A slow and steady strategy works quite often, but everyone’s different. Understanding the best ways to get comfortable with your new hearing aids is something we can help you with.
These tips will help you have a more enjoyable and enriched life with your new hearing aids.