Whether it is your first set of hearing aids or a new type with better technology, expect an adjustment period to get used to them. Because hearing aids can improve your quality of life, it is important to continue wearing them, despite the initial time required to transition to better hearing. If you have any questions or concerns in the first few weeks, reach out to your hearing care professional to assist. Getting the best performance out of your hearing aids may require several adjustments.
What?s That Noise?
One of the most important things to keep in mind when adjusting to new hearing aids is that your brain has to learn again how to filter out background noise. Initially, as you are exposed to sounds you haven?t heard in years, they may seem much too loud. Be prepared for the unexpected sounds, like the refrigerator humming.
Take Your Time
We all want instant gratification and hope for drastic improvements in short periods of time; just take a look at the weight loss industry promises! However, when it comes to adapting to new hearing aids, it is good to move slowly and wear them only a few hours a day, gradually increasing the time over a week or two. The exposure to new sounds can prove to be a lot of stimulus and sometimes it is worthwhile to take a break.
No One Hears Everything
Knowing that everyone experiences hearing loss to some degree as we age, and sometimes we do not catch every word or sound around us, should help manage your expectations regarding new hearing aids. Some situations will be challenging, like loud restaurants or in crowds, but even people with normal hearing miss things in those settings. Don?t be discouraged if you can?t hear everything now. As you gain experience using the hearing aids and relearning sounds in various situations, your hearing will improve.
Practice
With all of our advances in technology, it is a good time to be adjusting to hearing aids because there are so many opportunities to practice using them. Listening to an audio book while reading along can help with speech recognition, as well as using closed captioning to read along while watching TV. Each of these methods can improve how you hear the sounds of speech.
At Hill Hear Better, we are dedicated to providing expert guidance during your journey to adapt to new hearing aids. Please contact us at either office to learn how we can help you hear better.
